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With tonight concluding the 2010 NFL pre-season, this will likely be our last update for fantasy tight ends before the season begins in one week (unless we are feeling overly ambitious). In other words, this will definitely be our last fantasy TE update before the start of the season.

Throughout the season, we will provide weekly rankings based on matchups, injuries, byes, etc. In addition, we will update our position rankings, in general terms, on a monthly basis to help you evaluate trade proposals and such.

For now, here are our top 20 fantasy tight ends entering the 2010 NFL season:

1. Antonio Gates, Chargers: Despite only ranking sixth among tight ends in targets (114), Gates led tight ends -- and set a career-high -- in receiving yards (1,157) in 2009. With Vincent Jackson out for three (or more) weeks, Gates should see more targets in 2010.

2. Dallas Clark, Colts: What's not to like? With a line of 100-1106-10, Clark ranked first in receptions, second in yards and third in touchdowns among tight ends.

3. Vernon Davis, 49ers: Davis finally broke out last year. So much so that last season (78-965-13) was essentially better than his two previous seasons combined (83-867-6).

4. Brent Celek, Eagles: Two of Celek's three 100-yard games came in the only two in which quarterback Kevin Kolb started. Perhaps that overstates the Kolb-Celek chemistry, but it's not hard to picture an improvement upon his breakout campaign (76-971-8).

5. Jason Witten, Cowboys: Witten had a "down" year of 94 passes for 1,030 yards (and only two touchdowns). Many tight ends (or wide receivers) would love to have a "down" year like that. I guarantee that Witten will have more than two touchdowns in 2010. Otherwise, I refund 110% of your cost for this advice. I'm confident; make that double your cost.

6. Jermichael Finley, Packers: In his final eight games (including the Packers' post-season game), Finley finished with 44 receptions for 575 yards and four touchdowns. Despite missing three games, Finley still finished in the top ten in receiving yards among TEs in his second season.

7. Tony Gonzalez, Falcons: Arguably the greatest tight end ever. Gonzalez had more targets (135) than any other tight end and finished with 83 receptions for 867 yards and six touchdowns in 2009.

8. Owen Daniels, Texans: In an injury-shortened half-season, Daniels caught 40 passes for 519 yards and five touchdowns. His pace (80-1038-10) would have ranked him fourth in receptions, third in yards and tied for third in TDs among tight ends.

9. Visanthe Shiancoe, Vikings: Shiancoe has never surpassed 596 yards in one season, but he has been a touchdown machine over the past two seasons (18 TDs).

10. Zach Miller, Raiders: Only seven TEs had more receiving yards than Miller (805) had in 2009. In his three seasons, his receptions (44 to 56 to 66) and yards (444 to 778 to 805) have increased every season.

Continue reading "(Updated) 2010 Fantasy Football Rankings: Tight Ends (TEs)" »

Posted by Kevin Hanson at 10:16 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

With teams getting ready for their pre-season finales tomorrow night, here are my (updated) Top 50 Fantasy WRs for 2010:

1. Andre Johnson, Texans: For me, this is (still) a no-brainer. Johnson, who was the third overall pick in 2003, has posted back-to-back 100-reception, 1,500-yard seasons.

2. Calvin Johnson, Lions: After a stellar sophomore campaign (78-1331-12) with Dan Orlovsky as his quarterback, MegaTron battled nagging injuries in 2009 and even missed two games. Provided he stays healthy, however, the sky is the limit in 2010 for this gifted athlete.

3. Randy Moss, Patriots: Moss has scored 47 touchdowns over the past three seasons, however, all five of his 100-yard games last year came in the first nine weeks of the season. Whether or not you questioned his motivation in the second-half last year, Moss is entering his contract year and is looking as good as ever.

4. Reggie Wayne, Colts: Only three players (two receivers) finished the season with at least 100 receptions, 1,000 yards and 10 touchdowns. If you own Wayne, hope for a few Colts' early-season losses so Wayne plays more than a half in your fantasy championship game.

5. Miles Austin, Cowboys: The list? Andre Johnson and Wes Welker. The topic? Receivers who had more yards than Austin in 2009. The biggest concern for Austin will be the competition for targets with Jason Witten, Dez Bryant, Roy Williams and the running game.

6.Larry Fitzgerald, Cardinals: Over the past three seasons, Fitzgerald has caught a combined 293 passes for 3,932 yards and 35 touchdowns. With Kurt Warner retiring this off-season, however, the person (either Matt Leinart or Derek Anderson) getting him the ball is a huge downgrade.

7. Brandon Marshall, Dolphins: Marshall has had 100+ receptions and 1,100+ yards for three consecutive seasons. Marshall has a fat new contract and should be happy. Then again, he's a head case as his punting reinactment illustrated earlier in camp.

8. Roddy White, Falcons: Only Andre Johnson (171) had more targets than did White (165) in 2009. In the past three seasons, White has been consistent: 83, 88 and 85 receptions as well as 1,202, 1,382 and 1,153 yards, respectively. Even better, he set a career-high in TDs (11) in 2009.

9. DeSean Jackson, Eagles: Despite his size, Jackson is one of most explosive big-play receivers in the league. He ranked second in yards (18.5) per reception and first in the league in receptions of 40 yards or more (10).

10. Greg Jennings, Packers: From weeks 4-14, Jennings had only one 100-yard game. In his final four games (counting playoffs), Jennings had three 100-yard games.

Continue reading "(Updated) 2010 Fantasy Football Rankings: Wide Receivers (WRs)" »

Posted by Kevin Hanson at 01:18 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

Through three pre-season games, here are my (updated) Top 40 Fantasy RBs for 2010:

1. Chris Johnson, Titans: 2,006 yards. 11 straight 100-yard games. While those numbers would be nearly impossible to repeat, Johnson can take it to the house on any given play with his 4.24 speed. Plus, Johnson is now greedy (not hungry): "I graduated from hungry to greedy, and all I want is more.”

2. Adrian Peterson, Vikings: In three NFL seasons, Peterson has rushed for 1,300+ yards and 10+ touchdowns every year. His fumbling issues are well-documented, but he also had his best season as a receiver (43 receptions for 436) in 2009. And with Sidney Rice out for roughly half of this season, those receiving numbers should increase.

3. Ray Rice, Ravens: Rice led RBs in receptions (78) and receiving yards (702) in 2009. He was one of only two backs to have over 2000 yards from scrimmage.

4. Maurice Jones-Drew, Jaguars: In his first season as the featured back, Pocket Hercules delivered with 1,391 rushing yards, 374 receiving yards on 53 receptions and 16 combined touchdowns. Although he denies he's had knee surgery, he has been shut down for the rest of the pre-season.

5. Michael Turner, Falcons: An ankle injury in week 10 essentially wiped out the rest of his season, but he was getting into a groove before the injury (428 rushing yards on 47 carries (9.1 YPC) and three touchdowns in 2 1/2 games). In his 27 games as a Falcon, Turner has rushed for more touchdowns (27) than he has receptions (11).

6. Frank Gore, 49ers: With two first-round picks in the 2010 NFL Draft, the 49ers drafted two offensive linemen (Trent Williams and Mike Iupati), which is obviously a benefit to Gore. In addition to rushing for over 1,000 yards in the past four years, he has also averaged 52 receptions per season during that span.

7. Steven Jackson, Rams: With the Rams' lack of offensive weapons to complement Jackson, opposing defenses know what is coming. Yet Jackson still finished second in the NFL in rushing in 2009 despite being hampered by back issues for the second half of the season.

8. Rashard Mendenhall, Steelers: Starting in week four, Mendenhall rushed for 1,068 yards and seven TDs in the final 13 games of the season. (That's a 1300-yard pace.) Fortunately, the rumors of a broken arm were false.

9. DeAngelo Williams, Panthers: Despite missing three games last year, Williams has rushed for 2,632 yards and scored 27 touchdowns (25 rushing and two receiving) in the past two seasons. His only drawback? Backfield mate Jonathan Stewart has rushed for close to 2,000 yards and 20 touchdowns during that same span. Williams is in a contract year.

10. Shonn Greene, Jets: The Jets replaced one thirty-something back with another, but it's Greene's team now (even if LaDainian Tomlinson isn't aware of that). And with arguably the league's best line in front of him, Greene could have a monster season.

Speaking of Shonn Greene, he's one of the five players listed for our Week 1 Fantasy Football Contest.

Continue reading "(Updated) 2010 Fantasy Football Rankings: Running Backs (RBs)" »

Posted by Kevin Hanson at 06:29 AM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

"Head & Shoulders has gone above and beyond this year by insuring my Samoan locks for a cool $1 million," [Steelers safety Troy] Polamalu said, per the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette.

Jets coach Rex Ryan wants free safety Brodney Pool, who missed today's practice due to a sprained ankle, to be more of a "ballhawk," according to Kevin Armstrong of the NY Daily News.

Saints linebacker Jonathan Vilma, who got a second opinion on his groin injury, won't require surgery, per Mike Triplett of the New Orleans Times-Picayune.

Lions coach Jim Schwartz says "it's a possibility" that DeAndre Levy's groin injury might keep him out of the team's season opener, per Tom Kowalski of MLive.com.

Bills receiver Roscoe Parrish has found his niche as the slot receiver in Chan Gailey's offense.

The Broncos have released Broncos running back Justin Fargas and cornerback Tony Carter, per Lindsay Jones of the Denver Post.

FYI: Our fantasy football contest is open; here is the link for our Week 1 thread.

Bears receiver Earl Bennett returned to practice for the first time since August 8th.

The Dolphins have placed tight end Joey Haynos on the waived/injured list Monday.

Carolina is 0-for-42 in scoring touchdowns on their offensive drives this pre-season.

Colts rookie cornerback Kevin Thomas was placed on injured reserve (IR) today, as expected.

Vikings quarterback Brett Favre described a lubricant injection into his ankle as being "like a grease fitting,'' per SI's Peter King.

The Lions signed linebacker Rocky Boiman in addition to releasing linebacker Lee Campbell, wide receiver Eric Fowler and defensive end Chima Ihekwoaba and waived-injured fullback Jake Nordin.

Ravens cornerback Fabian Washington missed practice with bruised ribs, but he's expected to be ready for the season opener.

In addition, cornerback Lardarius Webb won't play in the Ravens' fourth pre-season game.

BIlls running back Marshawn Lynch will test his ankle tomorrow to determine whether he plays in the team's pre-season finale against the Lions.

Speaking about the Browns' Ring of Honor ceremony on September 19th, Hall-of-Fame running back Jim Brown said: "I don't have any trophies in my home on display. I don't claim to be the best at anything, and I emphatically do not need validation from any man, so I will not participate in your Ring of Honor."

Posted by Kevin Hanson at 10:54 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

Today the Houston Texans released three players: cornerback Fred Bennett, defensive end Pannel Egboh and wide receiver London Crawford.

Per ESPN's Adam Schefter, Steelers suspended quarterback Ben Roethlisberger will meet with NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell on Friday.

Broncos running back Knowshon Moreno and wide receiver Demaryius Thomas "don’t look anywhere near close to returning," per Mike Klis of the Denver Post.

Steelers linebacker James Farrior suffered a head laceration making a tackle in tonight's pre-season game against the Broncos.

Of the NFL's eight divisions, which is the toughest from top to bottom? Discuss in our forums.

Redskins receiver Malcolm Kelly will play in the team's pre-season finale as his status on the team's 53-man roster is in peril.

As we already know, T.O. loves him some him. Apparently, so does Bengals quarterback Carson Palmer, who said, "I love what Terrell is doing."

Speaking of his opportunity with the Vikings, receiver Javon Walker said (via the Minneapolis Star-Tribune, "It's been a long time waiting. But I always knew it was there. To come here with a team like this one, it feels great to contribute and try and add on to what they're doing. This is a great team, and I just want to be a part of their success."

Which new Vikings receiver will make a greater impact: Walker or Greg Camarillo?

The Patriots re-signed DB Terrence Johnson and released OL Brian Simmons today.

Raiders receiver Chaz Schilens will miss three to six weeks, but the team is not interested in Antonio Bryant, who was released by the Bengals today.

Is Cleveland rookie quarterback Colt McCoy on the roster bubble?

Per Kent Somers of the Arizona Republic, intangibles will factor into the decision to select the Cardinals' starting quarterback.

Jets linebacker Calvin Pace will miss 4-6 weeks due to a broken foot and the team could fill the void with linebacker Adalius Thomas.

Dolphins quarterback Chad Pennington joked that the key to winning the NFL Comeback Player of the Year award is to “get hurt and then come back.”

Posted by Kevin Hanson at 11:36 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

In back-to-back off-seasons, the Cincinnati Bengals have given a pair of free-agent wide receivers four-year contracts worth $28 million.

First, it was Laveranues Coles in 2009. Then, it was Antonio Bryant in 2010.

After the Bengals released Coles earlier this off-season, the veteran receiver signed with the New York Jets for his third stint with the team.

Today both Coles and Bryant were released (by the Jets and Bengals, respectively.)

"I think I'm done,'' Coles said, per Dave Hutchinson of the Newark Star-Ledger. "I don't want to become one of those journeyman football players. I don't need the money..."

"Unless someone gives me an offer I can't refuse, I think I'm done,'' said Coles. "I have my health and I'm thankful for that. I'll talk to the Jets if they call but right now I think I'm done."

The Bryant signing was a huge financial mistake by the Bengals, who paid Bryant nearly $8 million without him ever playing in a single game. In fact, he practiced only once due to the problems with his left knee.

In other words, Bryant received $46,511.63 per day during his 172 days as a Cincinnati Bengal.

Although Bryant is now an unrestricted free agent, who can sign with anybody, it would make sense for teams to wait for the health of Bryant's knee to improve.

Posted by Kevin Hanson at 07:29 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

FYI: Today we have updated our fantasy football cheat sheet.

Want to see who is #1? Click here.

Want to see who is #48? Click here.

How about #119? Click here.

Ok, we'll stop with the cheap attempts to get you to click the link. If you click the link, we will be grateful. If you don't click the link, however, we will understand. But we want you to have the link. So here's the link.

Posted by Kevin Hanson at 05:09 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

While Patriots quarterback Tom Brady may hate the Jets, Jets quarterback Mark Sanchez says, "I love the Patriots. I love Tom."

Bucs wide receiver Sammie Stroughter is in the lead to be the team's second receiver opposite rookie Mike Williams, per Joe Smith of the St. Petersburg Times.

Raiders running back Darren McFadden has returned to practice and expects to play in the team's third (his first) pre-season game this weekend.

Packers cornerback Al Harris failed his physical Monday, which reduces the likelihood that he'll be on the field for the season opener against the Eagles.

In addition, Browns defensive tackle Shaun Rogers could miss the season opener and end up on the PUP list, which would cause him to miss the team's first six games.

The Miami Dolphins have traded receiver Greg Camarillo to the Vikings for cornerback Benny Sapp.

Meanwhile Vikings receiver Percy Harvin returned to practice today.

Ravens rookie nose tackle Terrence Cody could miss Saturday's pre-season game due to swelling in the knee. Coach John Harbaugh says it's "nothing that needs surgery at this time."

Texans tight end Owen Daniels has been cleared to return to the Texans and should be ready for Week 1 against the Colts.

Former NFL running back Tatum Bell was cut by the Florida Tuskers of the UFL today.

Bears linebacker Brian Urlacher has missed another practice due to a left calf strain.

Here is the link to our fantasy football contest for Week 1.

Posted by Kevin Hanson at 06:31 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

To prevent rookie defensive tackle Ndamukong Suh from being double-teamed too often, Lions defensive coordinator says teams have "to find him first. We're going to move him around. He's smart enough to play all the positions."

The Jets are on the verge of a long-term extension with center Nick Mangold.

In his return to Denver (as a Detroit Lion), tight end Tony Scheffler said, "It felt good, man. It was good to be back here, good to win the game. But I didn't expect the boos."

According to Ravens linebacker Terrell Suggs, it's not how start but how you finish.

Giants coach Tom Coughlin said that Brandon Jacobs' injury (that made him a scratch for last night's game) "came out of nowhere." And the injury is "nothing serious," according to GM Jerry Reese.

Meanwhile quarterback Eli Manning will return (with a baseball cap on instead of a helmet) to the practice field on Monday.

Seahawks left tackle Russell Okung will miss the next two-to-four weeks due to an ankle sprain, per NFL Network's Jason La Canfora.

Vikings quarterback Brett Favre has addressed his teammates twice this week and said, "I did feel -- more so than last year, believe it or not -- I needed them to know I'm all in."

In addition, Favre is getting more money to be "all in."

It's unlikely that Cowboys safety Gerald Sensabaugh (shoulder) will return before the team's regular-season opener.

Teammate Keith Brooking says of his shoulder injury, "We did X rays and it was a Grade 1 so there's no separation in there. It's a very minor deal."

Vernon Gholstson said of the fight Rob Turner was asked (by Rex Ryan and Mike Pettine) to start with him: “Fighting? We can do that if necessary. But my job is always to try to become a better football player and try to help this team win…They saw how I responded. I ain’t scared of no fight.”

"Man, that one was pretty special," was how Lions quarterback Matthew Stafford described the 20-yard touchdown that he connected on with Calvin Johnson.

Redskins coach Mike Shanahan says of Albert Haynesworth: "The days of him playing without practicing are over." (Discuss in our forums)

Jaguars receiver Mike Sims-Walker said he had "a little chip on my shoulder" going into last night's pre-season game.

The Rams signed wide receiver Danario Alexander.

The Colts have lost cornerback Jordan Hemby for the season due to a torn ACL.

A healthy Leon Washington scored on an 11-yard touchdown yesterday.

Seattle has reached a deal with wide receiver Brandon Jones.

Bears coach Lovie Smith said of Brian Urlacher's calf injury: ''It shouldn't be anything major."

Jay Cutler was sacked five times.

Chargers quarterback Philip Rivers said of his touchdown-saving tackle last night: “Preseason, whatever it is, how do you just let a guy go? I don’t think it was anything special, it was just reaction.”

Posted by Kevin Hanson at 10:52 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

With a full week of NFL pre-season games under out belt, here are my (updated) Top 25 Fantasy QBs for 2010:

1. Drew Brees, Saints: No quarterback has passed for more yards (9,457) or touchdowns (68) than Brees over the past two seasons. The only reason he had a four-year low of 4,388 passing yards last year was the Saints rested him in week 17 to get ready for their Super Bowl run.

2. Aaron Rodgers, Packers: Like Brees, Rodgers has thrown for 4,000+ yards in each of the past two seasons. Unlike Brees, Rodgers put up solid rushing stats (523 yards and nine touchdowns in the past two years).

3. Peyton Manning, Colts: In 12 NFL seasons, Manning has reached the 4,000-yard milestone ten times including the past four seasons. The two he missed: 3,739 (rookie season) and 3,747 (2005). Considering he's only been sacked 24 times in his past two seasons, he's about as safe of a pick as possible.

4. Tony Romo, Cowboys: Only Matt Schaub and Peyton Manning threw for more yards and only Brett Favre and Aaron Rodgers threw fewer interceptions (among full-season starters) than Romo in 2009. And, for a change, Romo finished the season strong: 1,859 yards, 11 touchdowns and two interceptions in final six regular-season games.
5. Matt Schaub, Texans: Schaub led the NFL in passing yards (4,770) despite being without his stud tight end (Owen Daniels) for half of the year.

6. Tom Brady, Patriots: In his first full season back from the knee injury, Brady threw for nearly 4,400 yards and 28 touchdowns. The big question for 2010 is the status of Wes Welker's knee although his rehab has been going remarkably well.

7. Philip Rivers, Chargers: He's one of four QBs that have passed for 4,000 yards in each of the past two seasons and only Brees has thrown more TDs during that stretch. Without Vincent Jackson for three games (suspension) and possibly ten or more games (holdout), there's a good chance his fantasy production will fall short of his abilities.

8. Joe Flacco, Ravens: With new weapons in the passing game (free agents Anquan Boldin and Donte' Stallworth as well as rookies Ed Dickson, Dennis Pitta and David Reed) and improved health, Flacco should easily exceed his 2009 numbers of 3,613 yards and 21 touchdowns.

Enter our free 2010 Fantasy Football Contest by making your Week 1 entry here.

9. Jay Cutler, Bears: Without Martz, Cutler passed for 3,666 yards and 27 TDs despite a career-high in interceptions (26). If Martz can help Cutler reign in the turnovers, he could be in for a huge season. Either way, Cutler said of Martz: "He makes you want to come to work every day."

10. Eli Manning, Giants: With a core group of young receivers (Steve Smith, Hakeem Nicks, Mario Manningham, etc.), Eli set career highs in yards (4,021) and TDs (27) in 2009.

11. Donovan McNabb, Redskins: With a downgrade in weapons in the passing game, it will be difficult for McNabb to duplicate his 16-game pace (he missed two games) in 2009 of 4,060 yards and 25 TDs.

12. Kevin Kolb, Eagles: With weapons like DeSean Jackson, Jeremy Maclin and Brent Celek, it wouldn't surprise me to see Kolb finish in the 10-12 range of fantasy quarterbacks (and even ahead of McNabb) in 2010 with the Eagles' pass-first offense.

13. Matt Ryan, Falcons: Despite his sophomore slump, partly due to injury (missed two games and most of another), Ryan has weapons such as Roddy White and Tony Gonzalez at his disposal and should be poised for a bounce-back year. And in 14 games, he still threw 22 touchdowns.

14. Brett Favre, Vikings: Regardless of whether Favre texted teammates or not, most expect him to return for another season. But it depends largely on the health of his ankle. And duplicating last year's phenominal success (4,202 yards, 33 TDs, 7 INTs) seems nearly impossible, especially with Percy Harvin battling migraines and Sidney Rice recovering from his hip injury.

15. Ben Roethlisberger, Steelers: Only Brees and Schaub had more passing yards per game than Big Ben (288.5) in 2009. Although an announcement hasn't yet been made, NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell has said that Roethlisberger has exceeded what was expected of him so expect his suspension to be reduced to four (from six) games.

16. Matthew Stafford, Lions: The Lions added Nate Burleson, a big upgrade as their No. 2 receiver, via free agency and MegaTron is healthy again. Last year, Stafford led the NFL in pass attempts per game (37.7).

17. Chad Henne, Dolphins: The off-season addition of Brandon Marshall should help Henne continue to develop in his second season as a starter. In the second half of 2009, Henne threw for 1,888 yards but he also threw 11 interceptions and only eight touchdowns.

18. Carson Palmer, Bengals: Palmer threw for only 1,262 yards, seven TDs and six interceptions in the final eight games of 2010. Regardless of all the "Batman" & "Robin" nonsense, the Bengals are a run-first (and defensive-minded) team with a quarterback that has some question marks.

19. Jason Campbell, Raiders: Last year, Campbell posted career highs in passing yards (3,618) and TDs (20). It will be difficult to surpass those numbers in Oakland considering the lack of weapons in their passing game.

20. Alex Smith, 49ers: Although Smith played in only 11 games, his per-game stats equate to a pace of 3,418 yards and 26 touchdowns over a full 16-game season. Plus, the Niners have decent weapons in the passing game: Vernon Davis (one of the league's top three tight ends), Michael Crabtree (the top-rated receiver heading into last year's rookie class) and Frank Gore (who has averaged 52 receptions over the past four years).

21. David Garrard, Jaguars: Garrard has quietly been a steady fantasy producer over the past two seasons. As a back-up QB on your fantasy team, hope that your starter has his bye when Garrard is at home (over 2,000 yards and 12 TDs at home last year).

22. Vince Young, Titans: This is still a run-first team, but VY can make plays with his legs. During the Titans' 7-1 run from weeks 8 to 15, Young threw 10 touchdowns and only three interceptions.

23. Matt Cassel, Chiefs: Only three quarterbacks were sacked more times than Cassel (42), who will look to improve upon his 2009 numbers (2,924 yards and 16 touchdowns).

24. Mark Sanchez, Jets: Typical of rookie quarterbacks, Sanchez had an up-and-down season. In four games with 3+ interceptions, he threw two touchdowns and 15 interceptions. In his other 11 games, he threw 10 touchdowns and only five interceptions. The addition of Santonio Holmes, who will serve a four-game suspension to start the season, should help Sanchez make progress in his second season.

25. Matt Moore, Panthers: With Jake Delhomme out of the picture (and the threat of Jimmy Clausen taking over), Moore will get an opportunity to build on his 2009 success (61.6% completion, 8 TDs, 2 INTs). That said, how long is his leash? (Vote on our poll: Who will the Panthers' starting QB in week 17?)

Also, check out our other 2010 Fantasy Football rankings (which will be updated this week): Top 40 RBs | Top 50 WRs | Top 20 TEs

Follow us on Twitter (Twitter.com/EDSFootball) or on Facebook (Facebook.com/EDSFootball).

Posted by Kevin Hanson at 06:37 AM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

Will you be watching the premiere of HBO's Hard Knocks tonight?

One person likely to watch is Dolphins linebacker Channing Crowder, who hopes to see former teammate Jason Taylor "embarrass himself."

"He's a real pretty boy. He had makeup with Dancing with the Stars and all that, so he might put on makeup," Crowder said Monday, per Ben Volin of the Palm Beach Post. "He's gonna perform. Trust me. You can mark that. JT is not going to be himself. He's gonna perform for the cameras, 'cause he's a showman. That's what I give him a hard time about -- he's going to be as clean as he can, he's gonna have a freshly-shaved head, 'cause the camera is around and he's very womanly."

On the other hand, it's unlikely that Giants V.P. of communications Pat Hanlon will watch (or admit to watching).

In response to NFL spokesman Greg Aiello's countdown tweet today, Hanlon tweeted in response (via Pro Football Talk), "Whopee ... what team is being featured this year?"

Obviously, the biggest storyline of the show will be the Darrelle Revis holdout, but I wouldn't expect the full-team meeting suggested by Ryan today.

"This is what I would like to have happen," Ryan said, per Rich Cimini of ESPN New York. "Everybody put their cards on the table. Have Darrelle come here with anybody he wants. We'll have Mr. Johnson here. ... We'll call off practice. We'll have our whole team there to meet. That way, there's no he-said, she-said. Let's work it that way. Maybe that's how we'll get a solution. Everybody wants a solution. Let's figure out a way to do it. Maybe this is the way."

Set your DVRs, ladies and gentlemen.

Posted by Kevin Hanson at 08:38 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

According to Gary Myers of the NY Daily News, the Jets and shutdown cornerback Darrelle Revis, who continues to hold out, aren't even close in the total level of compensation in their contract negotiations.

While the Jets have offered Revis a 10-year, $120 million contract, Myers says that the two sides are off by about $40 million.

Yes, $40 million.

Meanwhile, the Jets also made a four-year, $40 million contract proposal as a more short-term solution, per Myers.

In both cases, guaranteed money wasn't discussed.

Neil Schwartz, the agent for Revis, says, "If the Jets had offered a two-year, $1 billion contract with $1 million this year and $999 million next year, that is not guaranteed. The contract is only worth $1 million. But it would be reported that Revis was offered a two-year, $1 billion deal."

I guess it's going to be some time before coach Rex Ryan kisses Revis "on the lips."

Posted by Kevin Hanson at 07:37 AM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

The NFL's best cornerback has made it known that he wants to be the highest-paid cornerback in the league, even if it's only by "50 cents."

With the New York Jets opening training camp today, cornerback Darrelle Revis was a no-show for the team's conditioning test this morning, per Jenny Vrentas of the Newark Star-Ledger.

Meanwhile, the Jets say that Revis isn't technically a holdout until (or unless) he misses the team's 5:30 p.m. meeting, according to Manish Mehta of the NY Daily News.

A couple of weeks ago, Cincinnati's Chad Ochocinco made the following plea to Revis (via Twitter): "@revis24 dude, im stupid excited for the season, don't hold out, you can have some of my fine fund money i set aside, let's have fun!"

Maybe Ochocinco needs to get Terrell Owens, his new partner-in-crime, to make the same offer at the 11th hour.

Posted by Kevin Hanson at 01:39 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

As of 9 p.m. ET last night, there were 11 unsigned first-round draft picks. Twelve hours later, the number stands at eight.

Seattle has reached a deal with safety Earl Thomas, who was the 14th-overall pick and the second of the Seahawks' two first-rounders. Per the AP, the deal is worth $21.1 million over five years.

Tennessee has reached a deal with Derrick Morgan, the 16th-overall draft pick, on a five-year contract although the financial terms of the deal weren't disclosed, according to The Tennessean.

The Jets have reached a deal with cornerback Kyle Wilson, the 29th-overall pick, on a five-year deal, according to Jenny Vrentas of the Newark Star-Ledger. The contract has a guaranteed amount of $7 million and can reach a maximum of $13 million.

As Vrentas pointed out, Wilson tweeted, "I'm a millionaire!!!!!!!!!! And headed to camp."

The eight remaining unsigned first-rounders are: (2) Ndamukong Suh, Detroit, (6) Russell Okung, Seattle, (9) C.J. Spiller, Buffalo, (10) Tyson Alualu, Jacksonville, (12) Ryan Mathews, San Diego, (21) Jermaine Gresham, Cincinnati, (26) Dan Williams, Arizona and (31) Jerry Hughes, Indianapolis.

Posted by Kevin Hanson at 09:33 AM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

The NFL pre-season gets underway a month from Thursday (Hall of Fame game between Cowboys and Bengals).

Over the next month, we will release our rankings keeper rankings, point-per-reception (PPR) rankings and our top 150 cheat sheets as well as in-depth player analysis and projections. For now, here is our updated list of the top 20 tight ends for fantasy football:

1. Antonio Gates, Chargers: Despite only ranking sixth among tight ends in targets (114), Gates led tight ends -- and set a career-high -- in receiving yards (1,157) in 2009. With the three-game suspension (and potential holdout beyond that) of Vincent Jackson, Gates should see more targets in 2010. Therefore, I swapped Gates and Dallas Clark in the updated rankings.

2. Dallas Clark, Colts: What's not to like? With a line of 100-1106-10, Clark ranked first in receptions, second in yards and third in touchdowns among tight ends.

3. Vernon Davis, 49ers: The wait is over. Davis finally broke out. Last year's numbers (78-965-13) were essentially better than his two previous seasons combined (83-867-6).

4. Brent Celek, Eagles: Two of Celek's three 100-yard games came in the only two in which Kevin Kolb started. It's hard to not picture an even better season than what he produced in his breakout campaign (76-971-8).

5. Jermichael Finley, Packers: In his final eight games (including the Packers' post-season game), Finley finished with 44 receptions for 575 yards and four touchdowns. Despite missing three games, Finley still finished in the top ten in receiving yards among TEs in his second (and breakout) season.

6. Jason Witten, Cowboys: Witten had a "down" year of 94 passes for 1,030 yards (and only two touchdowns). Many tight ends (or wide receivers) would love to have a "down" year like that. By drafting Dez Bryant in the first round, the Cowboys have another weapon competing for targets.

7. Owen Daniels, Texans: In an injury-shortened half-season, Daniels caught 40 passes for 519 yards and five touchdowns. His pace (80-1038-10) would have ranked him fourth in receptions, third in yards and tied for third in TDs among tight ends.

8. Kellen Winslow, Buccaneers: Considering the weakness of the Buccaneers' receiving corps, he's the only legitimate weapon in the Bucs' passing attack. Last year, Winslow ranked fourth among tight ends in targets (127).

9. Tony Gonzalez, Falcons: Arguably the greatest tight end ever. Gonzalez had more targets (135) than any other tight end and finished with 83 receptions for 867 yards and six touchdowns in 2009.

10. Visanthe Shiancoe, Vikings: Shiancoe has never surpassed 596 yards in one season, but he has been a touchdown machine over the past two seasons (18 TDs).

Continue reading "(Updated) 2010 Fantasy Football Rankings: Tight Ends (TEs)" »

Posted by Kevin Hanson at 06:20 AM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

The NFL pre-season gets underway a month from Thursday (Hall of Fame game between Cowboys and Bengals).

Over the next month, we will release our rankings keeper rankings, point-per-reception (PPR) rankings and our top 150 cheat sheets as well as in-depth player analysis and projections. For now, here is our updated list of the top 50 wide receivers for fantasy football:

1. Andre Johnson, Texans: For me, this is (still) a no-brainer. Johnson, who was the third overall pick in 2003, has posted back-to-back 100-reception, 1,500-yard seasons.

2. Calvin Johnson, Lions: After a stellar sophomore campaign (78-1331-12), MegaTron battled nagging injuries in 2009 and even missed two games. Provided he stays healthy, the sky is the limit for this gifted athlete.

3. Larry Fitzgerald, Cardinals: Over the past three seasons, Fitzgerald has caught a combined 293 passes for 3,932 yards and 35 touchdowns. But it's an understatement to say Matt Leinart (or Derek Anderson) is a downgrade from Kurt Warner, who retired this off-season.

4. Randy Moss, Patriots: All five of his 100-yard games came in the first nine weeks and his attitude and motivation were questioned by some down the stretch. But he has scored 47 touchdowns over the past three seasons. It's hard to question that production.

5. Brandon Marshall, Dolphins: Marshall has had 100+ receptions and 1,100+ yards for three consecutive seasons. With a fat new contract, the random temper tantrum seems unlikely. For now.

6. Reggie Wayne, Colts: Only three players (two receivers) finished the season with at least 100 receptions, 1,000 yards and 10 touchdowns. If you own Wayne, hope for a few Colts' early-season losses so Wayne plays more than a half in your fantasy championship game.

7. Roddy White, Falcons: Only Andre Johnson (171) had more targets than did White (165) in 2009. In the past three seasons, White has been consistent: 83, 88 and 85 receptions as well as 1,202, 1,382 and 1,153 yards, respectively. Even better, he set a career-high in TDs (11) in 2009.

8. Miles Austin, Cowboys: The list? Andre Johnson and Wes Welker. The topic? Receivers who had more yards than Austin in 2009. The addition of rookie Dez Bryant, who was drafted by the Cowboys in the first round, will take away some targets for Austin in 2010. If it's any consolation (more so for Austin in real life than for you as his fantasy owner), his new girlfriend is Kim Kardashian.

9. Sidney Rice, Vikings: A waiver-wire pick-up for many last year, Rice had more receiving yards than all but three receivers in 2009. Assuming a Favre return, Rice should have another monster season in 2010.

10. DeSean Jackson, Eagles: Despite his size, Jackson is one of most explosive big-play receivers in the league. He ranked second in yards (18.5) per reception and first in the league in receptions of 40 yards or more (10).

Continue reading "(Updated) 2010 Fantasy Football Rankings: Wide Receivers (WRs)" »

Posted by Kevin Hanson at 06:15 AM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

The NFL pre-season gets underway a month from Thursday (Hall of Fame game between Cowboys and Bengals).

Over the next month, we will release our rankings keeper rankings, point-per-reception (PPR) rankings and our top 150 cheat sheets as well as in-depth player analysis and projections. For now, here is our updated list of the top 40 running backs for fantasy football:

1. Chris Johnson, Titans: 2,006 yards. 11 straight 100-yard games. While those numbers would be nearly impossible to repeat, Johnson can take it to the house on any given play with his 4.24 speed. The question is: Will he do so for his $550,000 salary? On a positive note, a compromise to the contract situation may be reached before the start of the season, per Jim Wyatt of The Tennessean.

2. Adrian Peterson, Vikings: In three NFL seasons, Peterson has rushed for 1,300+ yards and 10+ touchdowns every year. His fumbling issues are well-documented, but he also had his best season as a receiver (43 receptions for 436) in 2009.

3. Maurice Jones-Drew, Jaguars: In his first season as the featured back, Pocket Hercules delivered with 1,391 rushing yards, 374 receiving yards on 53 receptions and 16 combined touchdowns. My only concern? MJD had two games with single-digit rushing attempts. What if that happens against Washington in week 16?

4. Ray Rice, Ravens: Rice led RBs in receptions (78) and receiving yards (702) in 2009. He was one of only two backs to have over 2000 yards from scrimmage.

5. Michael Turner, Falcons: An ankle injury in week 10 essentially wiped out the rest of his season, but he was getting into a groove before the injury (428 rushing yards on 47 carries (9.1 YPC) and three touchdowns in 2 1/2 games). In his 27 games as a Falcon, Turner has rushed for more touchdowns (27) than he has receptions (11).

(Note: although these rankings are not based on a point-per-reception scoring, I will release my PPR rankings within the next two weeks.)

6. Frank Gore, 49ers: With two first-round picks in the 2010 NFL Draft, the 49ers drafted two offensive linemen (Trent Williams and Mike Iupati), which is obviously a benefit to Gore. In addition to rushing for over 1,000 yards in the past four years, he has also averaged 52 receptions per season during that span.

7. Steven Jackson, Rams: With the Rams' lack of offensive weapons to complement Jackson, opposing defenses know what is coming. Yet Jackson still finished second in the NFL in rushing in 2009 despite being hampered by back issues for the second half of the season.

8. Rashard Mendenhall, Steelers: Starting in week four, Mendenhall rushed for 1,068 yards and seven TDs in the final 13 games of the season. (That's a 1300-yard pace.) With Fast Willie in D.C. now, a repeat (or even an improvement) of that pace seems likely.

9. Ryan Grant, Packers: As the runner for one of the league's best aerial assaults, Grant should continue to see a lot of seven-men fronts and open lanes to run. Only four RBs rushed for more yards (1,253) and TDs (11) than Grant in 2009.

10. DeAngelo Williams, Panthers: Despite missing three games last year, Williams has rushed for 2,632 yards and scored 27 touchdowns (25 rushing and two receiving) in the past two seasons. His only drawback? Backfield mate Jonathan Stewart has rushed for close to 2,000 yards and 20 touchdowns during that same span.

Continue reading "(Updated) 2010 Fantasy Football Rankings: Running Backs (RBs)" »

Posted by Kevin Hanson at 06:06 AM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

The NFL pre-season gets underway a month from Thursday (Hall of Fame game between Cowboys and Bengals).

Over the next month, we will release our rankings keeper rankings, our top 150 cheat sheets as well as in-depth player analysis and projections. For now, here is our updated list of the top 25 quarterbacks for fantasy football:

1. Drew Brees, Saints: No QB has passed for more yards (9,457) or touchdowns (68) than Brees over the past two seasons. The only reason he had a four-year low of 4,388 passing yards last year was the Saints rested him in week 17 to get ready for their Super Bowl run.

2. Aaron Rodgers, Packers: With back-to-back 4,000-yard seasons under his belt, it wouldn't surprise me if Rodgers finished 2010 as the top-ranked fantasy passer partly due to his rushing numbers (316 yards and five touchdowns in 2009).

3. Peyton Manning, Colts: In 12 NFL seasons, Manning has reached the 4,000-yard milestone ten times including the past four seasons. The two he missed: 3,739 (rookie season) and 3,747 (2005). Considering he's only been sacked 24 times in his past two seasons, he's about as safe of a pick as possible.

4. Tom Brady, Patriots: Although Wes Welker may not be ready to go week one, he is "happy" about the progress of his rehab. And with Randy Moss, Julian Edelman, Torry Holt and a pair of pass-catching rookie tight ends (Rob Gronkowski and Aaron Hernandez), Brady should be in for a big year.

5. Tony Romo, Cowboys: Only Matt Schaub and Peyton Manning threw for more yards and only Brett Favre and Aaron Rodgers threw fewer interceptions (among full-season starters) than Romo in 2009. With rookie Dez Bryant, who cornerback Mike Jenkins said will be a "big-time receiver" someday, joining an offense that includes Miles Austin, Jason Witten, Roy Williams and Felix Jones, Romo is poised for a monster season in 2010.
6. Matt Schaub, Texans: Schaub led the NFL in passing yards (4,770) despite being without his stud tight end (Owen Daniels) for half of the year.

7. Brett Favre, Vikings: The summer of mowing the lawn and throwing to high-schoolers has begun for Favre. While the 40-year-old QB may not be able duplicate last year's tremendous success (4,202 yards, 33 TDs, 7 INTs), it's realistic to expect something close to 4,000 yards and 30 touchdowns with his supporting cast in Minnesota.

8. Philip Rivers, Chargers: He's one of four QBs that have passed for 4,000 yards in each of the past two seasons and only Brees has thrown more TDs during that stretch. With Vincent Jackson serving a three-game suspension and possibly holding out through the first ten games, Rivers' fantasy value takes a big hit (he was fourth in my late-May rankings).

9. Joe Flacco, Ravens: With new weapons in the passing game (free agents Anquan Boldin and Donte' Stallworth as well as rookies Ed Dickson, Dennis Pitta and David Reed), Flacco should easily exceed his 2009 numbers of 3,613 yards and 21 touchdowns.

10. Eli Manning, Giants: With a core group of young receivers (Steve Smith, Hakeem Nicks, Mario Manningham, etc.), Eli set career highs in yards (4,021) and TDs (27) in 2009.

Continue reading "(Updated) 2010 Fantasy Football Rankings: Quarterbacks (QBs)" »

Posted by Kevin Hanson at 05:55 AM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

Don't expect Greene to adjust his punishing style of running anytime soon.

As pointed out by Manish Mehta of the NY Daily News, Greene dismissed Mehta's scenarios of modifying his running style to preserve his body for the rigors of a full NFL season.

“We don’t run out of bounds,” Greene said. “I’ve been taught that all my life…. I don’t think that’s going to help the way I play by doing that. If I just go out and do what I do, everything else will take care of itself.”

That said, his running backs coach will "make him aware of" some potential adjustments to help "get him through 16 games.”

“You have to teach him when to avoid, when to go down and when not to take on three people just so he can get through a season,” running backs coach Anthony Lynn told Mehta. “That’s an education process.”

In my fantasy football rankings (to be updated on July 7th), Greene will be the 14th-ranked running back, which is a couple of spots higher than his previous ranking.

Posted by Kevin Hanson at 11:59 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

Despite expectations of a one-game suspension for Jets receiver Braylon Edwards, Rich Cimini of ESPNNewYork.com reports that Edwards won't be suspended under the league's personal-conduct policy for an incident that occurred in a Cleveland nightclub in October. Instead he'll likely receive a fine for one game check.

The incident from October involved a (135-pound) friend of LeBron James that accused Edwards of punching him at a Cleveland club.

At the time, LeBron James said (via the Cleveland Plain Dealer), "I've never crossed paths with Braylon before but it seems like there is a little jealously going on with Braylon and me and my friends."

Despite his potential, Edwards has essentially been a one-hit wonder (no pun intended). In his breakout season (2007), Edwards finished with 80 receptions for 1,289 and 16 touchdowns.

In his other four seasons combined, Edwards has 16 touchdowns. Plus, he has averaged only 737 yards per season during that four-year span.

Cimini also points out that the Jets likely won't pursue Laveranues Coles, who played for the Jets from 2000-2002 and 2005-2008. Coles was released by the Bengals this off-season.

Per Jenny Vrentas of the Newark Star-Ledger, Edwards said this month that he expects 2010 is "definitely going to be my best season."

It's hard to imagine Edwards having a better season than 2007 for a run-first team that has acquired Santonio Holmes, even if he will serve a four-game suspension to start the season. That said, he has the talent to do so.

My rankings (44th receiver) indicate that I'm not buying into that claim as much as most (30th receiver drafted, according to Mock Draft Central). However, I will bump up Edwards a bit in our next rankings update for next week.

Posted by Kevin Hanson at 12:22 AM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

As the Jets hold their mini-camp, cornerback Darrelle Revis took a series off today to make a point (about his contract situation).

"A little light-headed," Revis said, per Jenny Vrentas of the Newark Star-Ledger. "I sat out for a little bit, something to let them know that I can play and I can not play."

Revis wants to be the league's highest-paid cornerback, which is currently Oakland's Nnamdi Asomugha, and he said he would be happy even if he were paid only "50 cents more" than Asomugha.

For the 2010 season, Revis is due $1 million unless a new deal is worked out. In addition, the Jets hold options that could keep him under contract through the 2012 season. (Revis would earn $5 million in 2011 and $15 million in 2012.)

He previously said that general manager Mike Tannenbaum had promised a deal before training camp. Meanwhile Tannenbaum, who said he expects Revis to retire as a Jet, wants to a get a deal done provided it's within reason.

With the Jets set to be featured on HBO's Hard Knocks, we will be able to see the drama unfold firsthand when camp starts. But coach Rex Ryan downplayed the potential distraction.

"My goal is to win a Super Bowl and nothing's going to get in the way," Ryan said, per Manish Mehta of the NY Daily News. "We'll go to war with whoever the hell is on this team. It doesn't matter. We're going to be the New York Jets. We're about the decal. It's not about one individual. But do I think Darrelle Revis will be here? Yeah, I absolutely do."

Stay tuned...

Posted by Kevin Hanson at 11:07 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

The days of running back LaDainian Tomlinson not getting much pre-season work are over.

The Jets plan to use LT in the pre-season more than he's been used in the past, according to Manish Mehta of the NY Daily News.

Since 2001, Tomlinson has carried the ball 26 times during pre-season games. In fact, 12 of those came last season with the Chargers.

“With change comes different expectations,” offensive coordinator Brian Schottenheimer told Mehta. “LaDainian’s fighting for playing time. He’s got to earn the right. He wants to have the chance to start. So, he’s going to have to play… We can look forward to (him playing more in the preseason). Hopefully that will have something to do with him getting energized and getting off to a great start.”

“He’s in a situation now where -- yeah, he’s LaDainian Tomlinson - but he’s now a Jet,” Schottenheimer said. “He’s got to prove to us and to the rest of the guys that he’s still got to go and play. Now, will we play him as much as Joe McKnight (in the preseason)? Absolutely not. But he’s still going to have to play.”

Despite posting the ninth double-digit touchdown season of his nine-year career, Tomlinson posted back-to-back declining seasons (1,474 to 1,110 to 730 rushing yards) for the first time in his career and will turn 31 this month.

From a fantasy perspective, Tomlinson is an interesting guy with a bit of upside in a run-first offense with a great line, based on his average draft position (ADP). I have Tomlinson ranked as the 31st-best fantasy running back.

According to MockDraftCentral.com, Tomlinson is the 43rd running back off the boards (108 overall). As an example, the three running backs going right before LT (based on ADPs) are Washington's Clinton Portis, Oakland's Michael Bush and San Diego's Darren Sproles.

Posted by Kevin Hanson at 07:29 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

Despite the potential for "sophomore slumps," quarterbacks should feel more comfortable in their second seasons compared with their rookie campaigns.

After having an entire season to learn the basics of the offense as well as the strengths and limitations of their receivers, there is the opportunity to really internalize the playbook and system as they prepare for their second season. In year one, it's a scramble to learn as much as possible in a short period of time, which limits the ability to fully understand the nuances and details within an offense.

Jets quarterback Mark Sanchez, who was the fifth-overall pick in the 2009 NFL Draft, seems to poised to take a big step forward in 2010, according to Manish Mehta of the NY Daily News.

“It just feels more natural and I’m not scrambling when I get the play call like last year,” Sanchez said, per Mehta. “(In the past), I’d have to say it a couple times in my head before I’d get to the huddle and now I’m visualizing it. I see the concept. It’s to the point where (offensive coordinator Brian Schottenheimer) is barely starting to get the play call out of his mouth and I’m starting to walk away and he’s grabbing me to make sure I get the whole call, but I feel good about it. That’s the way I want it to be.”

“When we get up to the line and we’re making checks, I just feel more confident with the audible mechanics, route depth and now getting into fine details of where the receivers’ splits are supposed to be,” Sanchez said. “How deep is Cover Two vs. Cover Three are little nuances of our offense that are coming even more and more natural. I feel great about it. That’s the point. As the quarterback, you want to master it and make that offense your own. That’s what I’m in the process of doing.”

Sanchez hopes to work with the Jets' receivers by inviting them out to his home in southern California to further develop his chemistry and rapport with the receiving corps, which now includes Santonio Holmes, who is suspended for the first four games of the season.

As a rookie, Sanchez had four really bad games (two touchdowns, 15 interceptions). In addition, he only completed 45.9 percent of his 109 passes in those four games.

If you exclude that one-quarter of the season, however, Sanchez threw twice as many touchdowns (10) as interceptions (five). Or, in other words, Sanchez did not play "like a rookie" for the majority of his rookie season.

Posted by Kevin Hanson at 12:19 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

For the first time this off-season, New York Jets cornerback Darrelle Revis did not participate at the team's voluntary organized team activity (OTA) today.

"With Darrelle, I look at it as he’s been here every day up until this," [coach Rex] Ryan said this afternoon, per Jenny Vrentas of the Newark Star-Ledger. "He volunteered to be here every single day, and now he wasn’t here today. These are voluntary camps, just like they're voluntary workouts and all that. He's made every one up until today. I've been impressed with him, to say the least, the way he’s worked."

Revis, who is due to earn $1 million in 2010, is looking to become the highest-paid cornerback in the league.

“Darrelle is everything we believe in on and off the field,” [general manager Mike] Tannenbaum said, per Manish Mehta of the NY Daily News. “We told him that shortly after the season. We remained committed to that. He’s a foundation for this organization. He’s a role model for our players. He’s really been great. I’m really proud to be the GM that traded up for him. Within reason, we want to sign him to an extension that will keep him here long term.”

Aside from giving himself a pat on the back (by being "really proud to be the GM that traded up for him"), Tannenbaum expressed concern over the uncertain environment going forward and having the flexibility to do what's right for the team collectively.

“Fast forward to March 2011,” the general manager added. “First of all, let’s hope there’s a new CBA. There may not be one. … So I don’t know what the rules are. I don’t know who’s going to be an RFA. I don’t know who’s going to be a UFA. I don’t know if there’s going to be a franchise tag. Maybe there’s none. Maybe there’s five of them. So, those are tremendous challenges that we have as a GM profession right now in managing our teams in such uncertainty…. It’s really hard right now because I don’t know who’s going to be in what class.”

Ultimately, I believe the Jets and Revis will agree to an extension before the start of the season (as Revis claims was promised to him). But the Jets hold his rights through the 2012 season, which somewhat limits the ability of Revis to exert pressure on the Jets.

That said, he's the best cornerback in the NFL (and deserves to be paid like it).

Posted by Kevin Hanson at 11:27 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

Arguably the greatest defense of all-time was the 1985 Chicago Bears defense led by defensive coordinator Buddy Ryan.

Now if linebacker Bart Scott realizes his goal for the New York Jets, he will make Buddy's son (Rex) the architect behind the NFL's greatest defense ever.

"You try and be the No. 1 defense ever," Scott said Thursday, per Rich Cimini of ESPNNewYork.com. "Why not? Why wouldn't you try and be the No. 1 defense ever?"

Despite finishing the 2009 as the NFL's top-ranked defense, the Jets experienced growing pains as the team implemented Rex Ryan's defense last year.

"The only field coaches we had last year were me, Marques Douglas and Jim Leonhard," Scott said, per Mark Cannizzaro of the New York Post. "Now you've got 22 people here that know the defense and can teach the defense."

Last year, the Jets allowed only 14.8 points and 252.3 yards per game.

Posted by Kevin Hanson at 06:08 AM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

Although we are more than two months away from the start of NFL training camps, we have already updated our initial fantasy football rankings from April 22nd.

Here are my (updated) Top 20 Fantasy TEs for 2010:

1. Dallas Clark, Colts (previous 1): What's not to like? With a line of 100-1106-10, Clark ranked first in receptions, second in yards and third in touchdowns among tight ends.

2. Antonio Gates, Chargers (previous 2): Not really the #2 fantasy TE; more like the 1(a). Gates led tight ends -- and set a career-high -- in receiving yards (1,157) in 2009.

3. Vernon Davis, 49ers (previous 3): The wait is over. Davis finally broke out. Last year's numbers (78-965-13) were essentially better than his two previous seasons combined (83-867-6).

4. Brent Celek, Eagles (previous 4): Two of Celek's three 100-yard games came in the only two in which Kevin Kolb started. It's hard to not picture an even better season than what he produced in his breakout campaign (76-971-8).

5. Owen Daniels, Texans (previous 6): In an injury-shortened half-season, Daniels caught 40 passes for 519 yards and five touchdowns. His pace (80-1038-10) would have ranked him fourth in receptions, third in yards and tied for third in TDs among tight ends.

6. Jason Witten, Cowboys (previous 5): Witten had a "down" year of 94 receptions for 1,030 yards (and only two touchdowns). Many tight ends (or wide receivers) would love to have a "down" year like that. By drafting Dez Bryant in the first round, the Cowboys have another weapon competing for targets.

7. Jermichael Finley, Packers (previous 7): In his final eight games (including the Packers' post-season game), Finley finished with 44 receptions for 575 yards and four touchdowns. Despite missing three games, Finley still finished in the top ten in receiving yards among TEs in his second (and breakout) season.

8. Kellen Winslow, Buccaneers (previous 8): He's a bozo, but he has talent. And considering the weakness of the Buccaneers' receiving corps, he's the only legitimate weapon in the Bucs' passing attack.

9. Tony Gonzalez, Falcons (previous 9): Arguably the greatest tight end ever. While Gonzalez is no longer the clear-cut top tight end in fantasy, he provides excellent value near the bottom of the top ten.

10. Visanthe Shiancoe, Vikings (previous 10): Shiancoe has never surpassed 596 yards in one season, but he has been a touchdown machine over the past two seasons (18 TDs).

11. Chris Cooley, Redskins (previous 11): Cooley missed nine games last year due to a broken ankle, but he had 83 receptions for 849 yards in his last full season (2008).

12. Zach Miller, Raiders (previous 13): Only seven TEs had more receiving yards than Miller (805) had in 2009. In his three seasons, his receptions (44 to 56 to 66) and yards (444 to 778 to 805) have increased every season. And Miller should benefit from having quarterback Jason Campbell, a huge upgrade over JaMarcus Russell.

13. Heath Miller, Steelers (previous 12): Miller set career highs in receptions (76) and receiving yards (789) in 2009. How much will Ben Roethlisberger's six-game suspension affect his production in 2010?

14. John Carlson, Seahawks (previous 15): Carlson has been respectable but not spectacular in his first two NFL seasons(55-627-5 and 51-574-7, respectively), but he enters 2010 with a four-game touchdown streak.

15. Greg Olsen, Bears (previous 14): Typically, tight ends don't flourish in a Mike Martz offense. Olsen posted solid season totals (60-612-8) but he had less than 10 yards in four games.

16. Dustin Keller, Jets (previous 16): I expected Keller to have a breakout season in 2009, but 2010 could be his year as he had a highly productive 2009 post-season (12-181-3 in three games).

17. Jeremy Shockey, Saints (previous 17): In 26 games over two seasons as a Saint, Shockey has only 98 combined receptions for 1,052 yards and three touchdowns. In the Saints' get-the-ball-to-the-open guy offense, his average of 40.3 and 40.6 yards per game over the past two seasons are the two lowest of his eight-year career.

18. Kevin Boss, Giants (previous 18): In the final three weeks of his season, Boss finished with 15 receptions for 176 yards and one touchdown. That was an average of 58.7 yards per game during that span. He had 391 yards in his first 12 games for an average of 32.6 ypg. Boss had ankle surgery last week, but he should be ready for training camp.

19. Brandon Pettigrew, Lions (previous 19): Before suffering a season-ending ACL injury in week 12, Pettigrew had 15 receptions for 165 yards and two touchowns in his previous three games. That said, the addition of Tony Scheffler somewhat dims Pettigrew's outlook for the 2010 season.

20. Jermaine Gresham, Bengals (previous unranked): Gresham significantly upgrades the Bengals at the tight end position. In my rookie rankings, I had Gresham a notch ahead of New England's Rob Gronkowski.

Also, check out our other 2010 Fantasy Football rankings: Top 25 QBs | Top 40 RBs | Top 50 WRs

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Posted by Kevin Hanson at 06:18 AM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

Although we are more than two months away from the start of NFL training camps, we have already updated our initial fantasy football rankings from April 21st.

Here are my (updated) Top 50 Fantasy WRs for 2010:

1. Andre Johnson, Texans (previous 1): For me, this is (still) a no-brainer. Johnson, who was the third overall pick in 2003, has posted back-to-back 100-reception, 1,500-yard seasons.

2.Larry Fitzgerald, Cardinals (previous 2): Over the past three seasons, Fitzgerald has caught a combined 293 passes for 3,932 yards and 35 touchdowns. But it's an understatement to say Matt Leinart (or Derek Anderson) is a downgrade from Kurt Warner, who retired this off-season.

3. Calvin Johnson, Lions (previous 5): After a stellar sophomore campaign (78-1331-12), MegaTron battled nagging injuries in 2009 and even missed two games. Johnson, who has worked out with QB Matthew Stafford four times per week since March, is optimistic about the team's offense in 2010.

4. Randy Moss, Patriots (previous 3): All five of his 100-yard games came in the first nine weeks and his attitude and motivation were questioned by some down the stretch. But he has scored 47 touchdowns over the past three seasons. It's hard to question that production.

5. Reggie Wayne, Colts (previous 6): Only three players (two receivers) finished the season with at least 100 receptions, 1,000 yards and 10 touchdowns. If you own Wayne, hope for a few Colts' early-season losses so Wayne plays more than a half in your fantasy championship game.

6. Brandon Marshall, Dolphins (previous 4): Marshall, who had hip surgery that will keep him out until training camp, has had 100+ receptions and 1,100+ yards for three consecutive seasons.

7. Roddy White, Falcons (previous 7): Only Andre Johnson (171) had more targets than did White (165) in 2009. In the past three seasons, White has been consistent: 83, 88 and 85 receptions as well as 1,202, 1,382 and 1,153 yards, respectively. Even better, he set a career-high in TDs (11) in 2009.

8. DeSean Jackson, Eagles (previous 9): Despite his size, Jackson is one of most explosive big-play receivers in the league. He ranked second in yards (18.5) per reception and first in the league in receptions of 40 yards or more (10).

9. Sidney Rice, Vikings (previous 10): A waiver-wire pick-up, Rice had more receiving yards than all but three receivers in 2009. Assuming a Favre return, which seems (even more) likely after Friday's ankle surgery, Rice should have another monster season in 2010.

10. Miles Austin, Cowboys (previous 8): The list? Andre Johnson and Wes Welker. The topic? Receivers who had more yards than Austin in 2009. The addition of rookie Dez Bryant, who was drafted by the Cowboys in the first round, will take away some targets for Austin in 2010.

11. Marques Colston, Saints (previous 11): Colston is the best receiver in the league's most explosive offense (31.9 points and 403.8 yards per game). Quarterback Drew Brees spreads the ball around, however, as Colston had less than five receptions in half of his games.

12. Greg Jennings, Packers (previous 12): From weeks 4-14, Jennings had only one 100-yard game. In his final four games (counting playoffs), Jennings had three 100-yard games.

13. Vincent Jackson, Chargers (previous 13): Jackson spent four days in jail this off-season after a second DUI arrest is likely facing a suspension by the league. In addition, Jackson, who is a restricted free agent, is currently not attending the team's voluntary workouts. That said, Jackson had his best season (68-1167-9) in 2009.

14. Anquan Boldin, Ravens (previous 14): The physical receiver should be a perfect fit into his new offense as he settles in as the Ravens' No. 1 receiver.

15. Chad Ochocinco, Bengals (previous 15): Ochocinco bounced back in 2009 with 72 receptions for 1,047 yards and nine touchdowns. However, quarterback Carson Palmer threw for only 1,262 yards, seven TDs and six interceptions in the final eight games of 2010. Ochocinco's splits: 1st half (44-639-5) vs 2nd half (28-408-4). Coincidence?

16. Steve Smith, Panthers (previous 16): With the exception of 2004 (played only one game), 2009 was the first season where Smith fell short of 1,000 yards since 2002. That said, he did play better with Matt Moore (not Jake Delhomme) under center.

17. Hines Ward, Steelers (previous 17): Ward, who said he will retire if he wins a third Super Bowl this year, had 95 receptions (tied for second-most in his career) and 1,167 (second-most) last season.

18. Steve Smith, Giants (previous 18): Smith finished fourth in the NFL in targets (157) in 2009 and set career highs in receptions (107), yards (1,220) and TDs (seven). Smith had four (or more) receptions 15 times and at least 40 yards receiving every week.

19. Dwayne Bowe, Chiefs (previous 25): The Chiefs' passing attack should improve with the addition of Charlie Weis as offensive coordinator. Despite a down (suspension-shortened) season, Bowe had 995 and 1,022 in his previous (first) two NFL seasons.

20. Derrick Mason, Ravens (previous 20): With Boldin in the mix, it's hard to envision Mason finishing 13th in the league in targets (like he did in 2009).

21. Mike Sims-Walker, Jaguars (previous 21): MSW's strong start (minus a missed game due to a missed curfew for a bootie call) was followed up with an equally weak ending to his second season. In his final six games, Sims-Walker had only 16 receptions for 175 yards and one touchdown (or 3.8 fantasy points per game during that stretch).

22. Michael Crabtree, 49ers (previous 23): Despite being the second receiver drafted in 2009, Crabtree led all rookies in receiving yards (56.8) per game. Plus, he had four (or more) receptions in nine of his 11 games played. Imagine if he had attended training camp and learned the whole offense.

23. Hakeem Nicks, Giants (previous 26): Of rookies, only Michael Crabtree (56.8 yards per game) averaged more receiving yards per game than Nicks (56.4 ypg). Only Austin Collie caught more TDs (seven). And only Mike Wallace had more 40-yard catches (six) than Nicks.

24. Wes Welker, Patriots (previous 24): Despite missing two games, Welker led the NFL in receptions (123) and finished second in receiving yards (1,348). Welker's 2010 fantasy value (and future position on this list) will largely be determined by how quickly and fully he returns from off-season ACL surgery. So far, Welker is "happy" with the progress of his rehab.

25. Donald Driver, Packers (previous 27): Although he just turned 35 in February, Driver had his sixth consecutive season with at least 70 receptions and 1,000 yards in 2009.

26. Santonio Holmes, Jets (previous 19): After a breakout campaign (79-1248-5) in 2009, Holmes will serve a four-game suspension in 2010 and moves to a run-first offense with a second-year (but developing) quarterback.

27. Steve Breaston, Cardinals (previous 22): One of the main reasons the Cards were willing to trade Boldin to Baltimore, Breaston has performed well as part of the high-flying Cardinals offense. That said, how high will it fly with Leinart at the helm.

28. Jeremy Maclin, Eagles (previous 30): After a solid rookie campaign (55-762-4), Maclin should continue to develop in 2010.

29. Percy Harvin, Vikings (previous 31): Assuming a return by Brett Favre, my only concern about Harvin is the migraine issues he has. Although he's a tough player, he was often a game-time decision. He led rookie receivers in receiving yards (790) and was tied for second in touchdowns (six).

30. Mike Wallace, Steelers (previous 29): Wallace, a big-play receiver who led the NFL in yards (19.4) per reception, will see an expanded role within the offense now that Santonio Holmes is now playing football in Jersey.

31. Pierre Garcon, Colts (previous 28): Garcon led NFL receivers with 21 post-season receptions for 251 yards and two touchdowns. Granted only the Colts, Jets and Saints played three playoff games, Garcon is poised for a strong 2010.

32. Kenny Britt, Titans (previous 32): Britt is a big (6-foot-3, 218 pounds), athletic receiver and should continue to improve in his second season.

33. Devin Aromashodu, Bears (previous 33): In the final five games of the season, Aromashodu ranked 15th in the NFL in targets (41). And he caught 22 passes for 282 yards and four touchdowns in the final four games of the season. With Mike Martz calling the plays, I expect big things from Aromashodu in 2010.

34. Nate Burleson, Lions (previous 34): As the Lions' No. 2 receiver across from MegaTron, Burleson will only see single coverage. In 13 games last year, he finished with 812 yards and 62.5 yards per game average would have projected to 1,000 yards flat over a 16-game season.

35. Robert Meachem, Saints (previous 36): Meachem needs to be more consistent, but the former first-round pick had a second-half split of 32-426-6. That said, he disappeared in the post-season (4-25-0).

36. Chris Chambers, Chiefs (previous 37): In the final eight games of the season, Chambers finished with 33 receptions for 538 yards and two touchdowns.

37. Davone Bess, Dolphins (previous 38): As the "anti-Lee Evans," Bess caught three (or more) passes in every game. Although he only scored two touchdowns, Bess finished with 76 receptions and 758 yards in his second season. The addition of Brandon Marshall should aid the development of Bess, who will get less attention from defenses.

38. Austin Collie, Colts (previous 42): Collie tied Minnesota rookie Percy Harvin for the lead among rookies in receptions (60) and no rookie receiver had more touchdowns (seven) than Collie.

39. Mario Manningham, Giants (previous 39): In two seasons, he's only played 21 total games. But Manningham had a nice second season (57-822-5).

40. Demaryius Thomas, Broncos (previous unranked): Due to his alma mater, size and athleticism, Thomas has been compared to Calvin Johnson. While that may be an unfair comparison, the first-receiver drafted should begin his NFL career as his team's No. 1 receiver.

41. Santana Moss, Redskins (previous 35): Although Jason Campbell played reasonably well last year, Moss should benefit from the upgrade at QB with Donovan McNabb under center even though he finished with 70 receptions for 902 yards in 2009. Being linked to the Anthony Galea-HGH scandal, however, could lead to a league-imposed suspension. If so, Moss would drop further in our rankings.

42. Dez Bryant, Cowboys (previous unranked): Although Roy Williams says there "ain't no such thing as me sitting on the bench," Bryant will be the team's second-most productive fantasy receiver. Even cornerback Mike Jenkins says that he will be a "big-time receiver" someday.

43. T.J. Houshmandzadeh, Seahawks (previous 40): Although he finished with 79 receptions (tied for 13th in the NFL), Houshmandzadeh is a possession receiver that doesn't have much upside above his 2009 numbers (911 yards, three touchdowns).

44. Braylon Edwards, Jets (previous 41): With Santonio Holmes in New Jersey (for up to 12 games), the 2007 version (80-1289-16) of Edwards seems as likely as the 2007 version of Derek Anderson (3,787 yards and 29 TDs).

45. Early Doucet, Cardinals (previous 43): His two-game post-season (14-145-2) was close to his nine-game regular-season numbers (17-214-1). As the team's No. 3 WR in 2010, he should continue to build upon his post-season success.

45. Antonio Bryant, Bengals (previous 45): Injuries set back Bryant in 2009 (39-600-4 in 13 games) after a career-year (83-1,248-7) in 2008.

46. Jerricho Cotchery, Jets (previous 46): Cotchery was the favorite target of Mark Sanchez in 2009. That's likely to change when Santonio Holmes comes off suspension. In either case, Cotchery posted four-year lows in receptions (57) and yards (821) in 2009.

47. Roy Williams, Cowboys (previous 47): Despite his seven touchdowns, 68 receivers had more receptions and 55 receivers had more yards than Williams. Then again, he's shown us a 1,310-yard season (2006), too. There is a little bit of buzz around Williams in the Cowboys' off-season workouts, but I'm taking a wait-and-see approach.

48. Lee Evans, Bills (previous 44): In half of his games, Evans had two or less receptions. In half of his games, Evans had 35 yards or less. No thanks. You can have him.

50. Malcom Floyd, Chargers (previous 50): Floyd had his best game of the season in his last one (nine catches for 140 yards) and his second half (32 catches for 496 yards) was considerably better than his first half (13 catches for 280 yards).

Also, check out our other 2010 Fantasy Football rankings: Top 25 QBs | Top 40 RBs | Top 20 TEs

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Posted by Kevin Hanson at 06:16 AM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

Although we are more than two months away from the start of NFL training camps, we have already updated our initial fantasy football rankings from April 19th.

Here are my (updated) Top 40 Fantasy RBs for 2010:

1. Chris Johnson, Titans (previous 1): 2,006 yards. 11 straight 100-yard games. That's virtually impossible to repeat, but with 4.24 speed, Johnson can take it to the house on any given play. Provided he doesn't hold out (at least, for more than training camp).

2. Adrian Peterson, Vikings (previous 2): I would love to get AD as the second running back. Too many other weapons in Vikes' offense (assuming a Favre return, which seems like a lock after ankle surgery) and only one football to take over "Every Coach's Dream" for the top spot.

3. Maurice Jones-Drew, Jaguars (previous 3): Is MJD dynamic? Absolutely. Could he be the most productive RB in fantasy? Possibly. But, for inexplicable reasons, MJD will have games with 6 or 8 carries. What if that's week 16?

4. Ray Rice, Ravens (previous 4): Rice led RBs in receptions (78) and receiving yards (702) in 2009. He was one of only two backs to have over 2000 yards from scrimmage.

5. Michael Turner, Falcons (previous 5): The good news? Turner didn't take the punishment of another 394-carry (counting playoffs) season in 2009. The bad news? It was because of his ankle injury. With good health (knock on wood), The Burner should be a top-five fantasy back in 2010.

6. Steven Jackson, Rams (previous 6): With the Rams lack of offensive weapons to complement Jackson, opposing defenses knew what was coming. Yet Jackson still finished second in the NFL in rushing, which is more remarkable considering the back issues he had last year. This off-season, Jackson had back surgery, but he expects to be ready for training camp.

7. Frank Gore, 49ers (previous 8): With two first-round picks, the 49ers drafted two offensive linemen (Trent Williams and Mike Iupati). And just as importantly for his fantasy value, they didn't draft running back C.J. Spiller (who was selected by the Bills).

8. Rashard Mendenhall, Steelers (previous 7): Starting in week four, Mendenhall rushed for 1,068 yards and seven TDs in the final 13 games of the season. (That's a 1300-yard pace.) With Fast Willie in D.C. now, a repeat (or even an improvement) of that pace seems likely.

9. Cedric Benson, Bengals (previous 9): As a back I recommended to target in 2009 fantasy drafts, Benson led the NFL in rushing for a good part of the season. Benson will be the featured workhorse again in 2010.

10. Ryan Grant, Packers (previous 10): As the runner for one of the league's best aerial assaults, Grant should continue to see a lot of seven-men fronts with lanes to run. He's a steady producer that's often overlooked on draft day.

11. DeAngelo Williams, Panthers (previous 11): One of the league's top backs although the Panthers have the league's best back-up RB, he has rushed for 2,632 yards and scored 27 touchdowns (25 rushing and two receiving) in the past two seasons.

12. Beanie Wells, Cardinals (previous 12): With the retirement of Kurt Warner and departure of Anquan Boldin (to Baltimore), the Cardinals will likely rely more on their running game in 2010. And Wells, who had 338 rushing/receiving yards in his last four games, should be ready to capitalize.

13. Ryan Mathews, Chargers (previous unranked): Mathews will be the top-ranked rookie running back. Not only does he have the skills (NCAA's second-leading rusher), Chargers coach Norv Turner expects Mathews to get around 250 carries in 2010. Only nine running backs had more in 2009.

14. Jamaal Charles, Chiefs (previous 12): Charles tore it up in the second half (968 rushing yards, 158 receiving yards and eight total TDs) including a record-setting performance in the finale, but the Chiefs have added Thomas Jones, who rushed for a career-high 1,402 yards in 2009. And Charles and Jones don't seem to be selfish, which is great for the Chiefs and bad for fantasy.

15. Jonathan Stewart, Panthers (previous 14): We saw what The Daily Show could do without DeAngelo Williams in the lineup: (440 rushing yards in final three games). Barring an injury to Williams, however, Stewart will get less than 50 percent of the available touches, which keeps him from reaching his full potential.

16. Shonn Greene, Jets (previous 15): The Jets replaced one thirty-something back with another, but it's Greene's team now. And with arguably the league's best line in front of him, he should have a monster season.

17. Knowshon Moreno, Broncos (previous 17): Moreno led all rookies in rushing (947 yards) and finished 16th overall even though he failed to go over the 50-yard mark in seven of his 16 games. He should be more consistent in 2010.

18. Pierre Thomas, Saints (previous 18): With the off-season departure of Mike Bell, Thomas should get more carries in 2010 than given in 2009 (147). In 14 games, he finished with 1,095 (793 rushing and 302 receiving) yards in 2009 and averaged 5.4 yards per rushing attempt.

19. Ronnie Brown, Dolphins (previous 19): When healthy, he's elite. However, he's missed 20 games in his five-year career. Therefore, his best season was 2006 when he finished with 1,008 rushing yards. Feeling lucky?

20. LeSean McCoy, Eagles (previous 21): The days of Donovan McNabb and Brian Westbrook are over in Philly. In the eight games that Westbrook missed in 2009, McCoy rushed for 473 yards and four TDs and caught 22 passes for 163 yards. A combined rushing/receiving total of 1,300+ seems reasonable for 2010.

21. Joseph Addai, Colts (previous 22): In 2009, Addai never rushed for more than 79 yards in a game and averaged only 3.8 yards per carry. That said, he finished with 13 total touchdowns in 15 games and had scores in ten of those games. Plus, his 51 receptions tied for sixth among running backs.

22. Brandon Jacobs, Giants (previous 23): After back-to-back 1,000-yard seasons, Jacobs rushed for only 835 yards despite getting a career-high 224 carries. Even worse, his TD production dropped from 15 in 2008 to five in 2009. While there's a chance that Ahmad Bradshaw could get more of an even split of carries in 2010, it's hard to imagine a back with Jacobs' combination of size and speed not bouncing back in 2010.

23. Felix Jones, Cowboys (previous 26): Jones, who is a big-play threat, could become the starter in 2010. In two playoff games, Jones rushed for 217 yards on 30 carries (average of 7.2 YPC).

24. Ricky Williams, Dolphins (previous 24): He proved he can post big numbers if (or when) Ronnie Brown misses action. But these numbers -- 751 combined yards and seven TDs in nine games -- came with Brown in the lineup.

25. Fred Jackson, Bills (previous 20): When he received the bulk of work (over Marshawn Lynch), Jackson flourished as one of only 15 running backs to eclipse the 1,000-yard mark helped by a 212-yard performance in the season finale. He also finished tenth among RBs in receptions (46). The main question is how will the Bills use first-rounder C.J. Spiller?

26. Marion Barber, Cowboys (previous 25): Double-digit touchdowns are no longer a lock, Felix Jones may be the featured guy in 2010 and MBIII struggled to stay healthy last year. Therefore, he's the second-best fantasy running back on the team in 2010.

27. Jerome Harrison, Browns (previous 18): By drafting Montario Hardesty (who has since impressed coach Eric Mangini) in the second round, Harrison will have to share the workload with the rookie. But in the final three weeks of the season, Harrison had 561 yards and five touchdowns on 106 carries. Then again, he had only 88 carries for 301 yards and no scores in his other 11 games played. So, I guess we'll see.

28. Cadillac Williams, Buccaneers (previous 31): Cadillac had a solid (and, more importantly, healthy) season. His best month of the season was his last as he rushed for 301 yards in four December games with an average of 4.7 yards per carry.

29. Matt Forte, Bears (previous 30): This consensus top-five pick in 2009 was arguably fantasy football's biggest disappointment. With newcomers Mike Martz and Chester Taylor in town, 2010 is likely to be more like 2009 (929 rushing yards) than 2008 (1,238 rushing yards) for Forte.

30. Thomas Jones, Chiefs (previous 27): Thirty-something running backs tend to see precipitous declines in production. Despite setting career-highs in rushing yards and touchdowns, Jones will back up Jamaal Charles in 2010.

31. LaDainian Tomlinson, Jets (previous 28): L.T. called his game film from last year "misleading." But he's gone from 1,474 yards (315 carries) to 1,110 yards (292 carries) to 730 yards (223 carries). Despite moving to a team with arguably the best offensive line, the trend is fairly obvious.

32. Ahmad Bradshaw, Giants (previous 29): Bradshaw averaged 1.1 yards per carry more than Jacobs and scored two more touchdowns despite getting 61 fewer carries. Bradshaw had off-season surgery on his feet and ankle, but he says that he feels "10 times better."

33. C.J. Spiller, Bills (previous unranked): Like the guy that tops this list, Spiller is a big-play threat with world-class speed that can take it to the house on any given play.

34. Ben Tate, Texans (previous unranked): Steve Slaton says that he's "100 percent." That said, the Texans traded up to draft Ben Tate, who ranked third on my list of rookie running backs for fantasy football. If I were a betting man, I would put my money on Tate being the Texans' leading rusher in 2010.

35. Jahvid Best, Lions (previous unranked): The Lions moved back up into the first round to select Best. With a healthy Kevin Smith or not, it appears as though Best will get a larger workload than Smith.

36. Michael Bush, Raiders (previous 34): Bush led the Raiders in rushing in 2009 with 589 yards. With Justin Fargas no longer in the mix, there will be more carries for Bush and Darren McFadden. Despite McFadden's potential, Bush has produced (career 4.6 yards per carry) when given a chance.

37. Montario Hardesty, Browns (previous unranked): Hardesty has impressed the coaching staff in Cleveland with his physical running style and ability to pick up the offense and should push Jerome Harrison for carries in 2010.

38. Kevin Smith, Lions (previous 33): After off-season knee surgery, Smith might not be ready (or 100 percent) for the start of the season. Smith had 747 rushing yards and 415 receiving yards in 13 games in 2009, but the addition of Jahvid Best obviously hurts his fantasy value.

39. Steve Slaton, Texans (previous 36): There are plenty of concerns: fumbles lost, off-season neck surgery (although he says he's "100 percent") and Houston drafting Ben Tate. But in 11 games last year, Slaton still racked up 854 combined yards and scored seven touchdowns. That's a pace of 1,242 yards and ten touchdowns. Plus, he had 1,659 combined yards and 10 TDs in his 2008 rookie campaign.

40. Justin Forsett, Seahawks (previous 32): It looked as though the new regime led by coach Pete Carroll would give Forsett a fair shot to win the role as the featured back over Julius Jones. Although the Seahawks didn't draft competition for Forsett, they traded for LenDale White, who played for Carroll at USC, and for Leon Washington, who's one of the league's most versatile backs (when healthy). For now, I'm going to keep Forsett ahead of the other Seattle backs, but that could change.

Also, check out our other 2010 Fantasy Football rankings: Top 25 QBs | Top 50 WRs | Top 20 TEs

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Posted by Kevin Hanson at 06:14 AM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

Although we are more than two months away from the start of NFL training camps, we have already updated our initial fantasy football rankings from April 5th.

Here are my (updated) Top 25 Fantasy QBs for 2010:

1. Drew Brees, Saints (previous 1): No QB has passed for more yards (9,457) or touchdowns (68) than Brees over the past two seasons. In fact, his 4,388 passing yards was his worst performance over the past four seasons due to missing week 17 to rest for the playoffs. That said, most fantasy owners don't care about week 17 anyways.

2. Aaron Rodgers, Packers (previous 2): After back-to-back 4,000-yard seasons, it wouldn't surprise me if Rodgers finished 2010 as the top-ranked fantasy passer and made Packer fans (or, at least, fantasy owners) ask, "Brett who?"

3. Peyton Manning, Colts (previous 3): A student of the game? More like a coach on the field. 4,000+ yards and 25+ TDs should be a lock. Given the Colts' disregard for making history, the potential of locking up the division early and playing for one half in week 16 again is perhaps Peyton's biggest flaw as a fantasy quarterback.

4. Philip Rivers, Chargers (previous 4): He's one of four QBs that have passed for 4,000 yards in each of the past two seasons and only Brees has thrown more TDs during that stretch. Expect even more passing in the post-LT era.

5. Tom Brady, Patriots (previous 5): Although Wes Welker may not be ready to go week one, he is "happy" about the progress of his rehab. And with Randy Moss, Julian Edelman, Torry Holt and a pair of pass-catching rookie tight ends (Rob Gronkowski and Aaron Hernandez), Brady should be in for a big year.

6. Tony Romo, Cowboys (previous 7): His impressive play down the stretch along with the emergence of Miles Austin provides plenty of momentum for 2010. The Cowboys drafted Dez Bryant, who cornerback Mike Jenkins said will be a "big-time receiver" someday, and Roy Williams claims that he and Romo are "connecting like Montana and Rice."

7. Matt Schaub, Texans (previous 6): Schaub led the NFL in passing yards despite being without his stud tight end (Owen Daniels) for half of the year.

8. Brett Favre, Vikings (previous 8): As expected, Favre took the first step in returning for another season by having ankle surgery on Friday. With the weapons in the Minnesota offense, 3,800+ yards and 25+ touchdowns seems reasonable for the 40-year-old.

9. Eli Manning, Giants (previous 11): With a core group of young receivers (Steve Smith, Hakeem Nicks, Mario Manningham, etc.), Eli set career highs in yards (4,021) and TDs (27).

10. Donovan McNabb, Redskins (previous 10): McNabb's 16-game pace (he missed two) in 2009 was 4,060 yards and 25 TDs. Replicating that production over a full season in Washington will be difficult considering the downgrade in weapons in the passing game. (Also, Santana Moss could face a league suspension with his alleged ties to the Anthony Galea-HGH scandal.)

11. Joe Flacco, Ravens (previous 13): First, the Ravens acquired Anquan Boldin and Donte' Stallworth. Then, they drafted two pass-catching tight ends (Ed Dickson and Dennis Pitta). Flacco should exceed his 2009 numbers of 3,613 yards and 21 touchdowns.

12. Jay Cutler, Bears (previous 12): Without Martz, Cutler passed for 3,666 yards and 27 TDs despite a career-high in interceptions (26). If Martz can reign in the gunslinger from throwing unnecessary drive-ending interceptions, he just might take a big step forward.

13. Matt Ryan, Falcons (previous 14): Despite his sophomore slump, partly due to injury (most of three games), Ryan has weapons such as Roddy White and Tony Gonzalez at his disposal and should be poised for a bounce-back year. And in 14 games, he still threw 22 touchdowns.

14. Kevin Kolb, Eagles (previous 15): With weapons like DeSean Jackson, Jeremy Maclin and Brent Celek, it wouldn't surprise me to see Kolb finish in the 10-12 range of fantasy quarterbacks in 2010 with the Eagles' pass-first offense.

15. Carson Palmer, Bengals (previous 16): Palmer threw for only 1,262 yards, seven TDs and six interceptions in the final eight games of 2010. That needs to be better. But the Bengals have added new receivers Antonio Bryant, Matt Jones and rookies Jordan Shipley and Dezmon Briscoe in addition to significantly upgrading their tight end position by drafting Jermaine Gresham with their first-round pick.

16. Ben Roethlisberger, Steelers (previous 9): Only Brees and Schaub had more passing yards per game than Big Ben (288.5) in 2009. The problem is you won't get their per-game production until he serves his six-game (possibly four-game) suspension. Plus the team's leading receiver from 2009 was traded to the New York Jets for a fifth-round pick.

17. David Garrard, Jaguars (previous 17): Garrard has quietly been a steady fantasy producer over the past two seasons. As a back-up QB on your fantasy team, hope that your starter has his bye when Garrard is at home (over 2,000 yards and 12 TDs at home last year).

18. Jason Campbell, Raiders (previous 24): Last year, Campbell posted career highs in passing yards (3,618) and TDs (20). It will be difficult to surpass those numbers in Oakland considering the lack of weapons in their passing game. But that's not Campbell's fault.

19. Matthew Stafford, Lions (previous 22): The Lions added Nate Burleson, a huge upgrade at the WR2 position, in free agency to help last year's top pick. He and MegaTron have been working together four days a week since March to work on their chemistry. Last year, Stafford led the NFL in pass attempts per game (37.7) and considering the Lions are still a year away, it's likely that Stafford will be airing the ball out in 2010 as well.

20. Matt Cassel, Chiefs (previous unranked): With Charlie Weis calling the plays, Cassel will look to build upon his 2009 numbers (2,924 yards and 16 touchdowns). In addition, the Chiefs drafted Dexter McCluster, who is in the mold of Darren Sproles and should give the Chiefs another weapon in the passing game. A potential drawback? Jamaal Charles and Thomas Jones have more 2009 rushing yards than any RB tandem in the NFL even if they compiled those yards on separate teams.

21. Vince Young, Titans (previous 18): It's been an interesting ride for Young, who once again appears to be the franchise's QB of the future. This is still a run-first team, but VY can make plays with his legs. During the Titans 7-1 run from weeks 8 to 15, Young threw 10 touchdowns and only three interceptions.

22. Alex Smith, 49ers (previous 20): Vernon Davis broke out. Michael Crabtree showed up. Smith got a second chance (after agreeing to a paycut will on his honeymoon, mind you.). Will he take another step forward in 2010?

23. Chad Henne, Dolphins (previous unranked): Since our first quarterback ranking, the Dolphins acquired Brandon Marshall. Although Marshall had a third hip surgery and won't be able to practice until training camp, the significant upgrade in the Dolphins' receiving corps should help Henne make big strides in 2010.

24. Mark Sanchez, Jets (previous unranked): The addition of Santonio Holmes to the Jets' offense, which means the Jets will use three-receiver sets more frequently, is a boon to Sanchez. If he can limit (or, better yet, avoid) the three-plus-interception games (he had four last year), Sanchez will finish higher than the 23rd-ranked fantasy quarterback at the end of the season.

25. Matt Moore, Panthers (previous 23): With Jake Delhomme out of the picture (and the threat of Jimmy Clausen taking over), Moore will get an opportunity to build on his 2009 success (61.6% completion, 8 TDs, 2 INTs). That said, how long is his leash? (Vote on our poll: Who will the Panthers' starting QB in week 17?)

Also, check out our other 2010 Fantasy Football rankings: Top 40 RBs | Top 50 WRs | Top 20 TEs

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Posted by Kevin Hanson at 06:14 AM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

With the off-season acquisition of receiver Santonio Holmes, the New York Jets are likely to use more three-receiver sets in their offense this year.

“You know we like to run the ball,” [offensive coordinator Brian] Schottenheimer said, per Manish Mehta of the NY Daily News. “You know we like to have a fullback in there. But you want to try to keep people off balance and we’re going to try to play our best players. You’re going to see (Holmes, [Jerricho] Cotchery, [Braylon] Edwards and [Dustin] Keller) in all kinds of positions.”

Last year, the Jets ranked first in the NFL in rushing (172.3 yards per game) and second-to-last in passing (148.8 ypg) offense. Moreover, they were one of only two teams to finish with more rushing than passing yards. (Cleveland was the other team to do so.)

Schottenheimer also said that he is teaching Holmes, who has typically played split end, the role of flanker and slot receiver so that he can be more versatile in the offense.

Meanwhile, Holmes, who will begin the season serving a four-game suspension, is placing his focus more on wins than on personal statistics.

“I came here with a mindset to win a championship," Holmes said. "If I can get in those guys' heads that I would trade in 90 catches, 1000 yards for a Super Bowl ring, that’s the mentality we got to have as a team. I can go every game this season and only catch two passes a game. If we make it to the Super Bowl, they're going to look at Santonio like this guy was a big help.”

While his Jets' teammates may appreciate his selfless attitude, the fantasy owner in you won't (unless your opponent has Holmes).

Posted by Kevin Hanson at 02:09 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

While the Jets may be the NY-area team garnering the most (positive) attention these days, one player from the other NY-area team says that the Giants will never be the, well, other team.

Per George Willis of the New York Post, Giants running back Brandon Jacobs complimented Jets coach Rex Ryan by saying, "That's the kind of coach a lot of people want to play for a coach that goes out there and puts it on the line."

But Jacobs, who has never shied away from speaking his mind, also asserts that the Jets will always be second fiddle to the Giants in New York.

"This city is always going to be blue," Jacobs vowed. "The Jets had a good year last year and they're a good football team this year. But this is a new season and we're going to bounce back."

Perhaps Jacobs should focus all of his attention on regaining the form that helped to power the Giants to the league's best rushing attack in 2008.

In 2009, the Giants rushed for 114.8 yards per game (tied for 17th in the NFL) and 14 touchdowns (tied for 15th). That compares to 157.4 ypg and 19 touchdowns in 2008.

Jacobs, the Giants' fourth-round pick in 2005, ranked 21st in the NFL in rushing yards (835) and rushed for five touchdowns. Although he posted a career-high in rushing attempts (224), it was the first time in the past three seasons that he finished with less than 1,000 yards.

With an average draft position of 62 (28th RB), according to MockDraftCentral.com, it's hard for me to imagine a guy with the speed and size of Jacobs not bouncing back in a big way and becoming a huge fantasy value in 2010.

Posted by Kevin Hanson at 09:08 AM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

Everyone has their price. And apparently so does Jets linebacker Bryan Thomas.

Jets newcomer Jason Taylor, who has worn No. 95 at OTAs to honor ex-teammate Tim Bowens, is associated with the No. 99.

In fact, his official website is JasonTaylor99.com.

“BT has 99,” Taylor said, per Manish Mehta of the NY Daily News. “Regardless of what guys do around the league in (terms of) buying numbers, I have too much respect for BT. He has been around a long time.”

But Thomas might be willing to part with the number and teammate Shaun Ellis appears to be his agent as Ellis suggested a starting price of $200,000 for what was once "Gastineau's number."

Posted by Kevin Hanson at 01:45 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

Jets converted (linebacker to) defensive end Vernon Gholston has been a huge disappointment so far in his two-year career.

Gholston, who was the sixth-overall pick in 2008, has 30 tackles and no sacks in 29 career games.

"It's an understandable assessment," Gholston told Manish Mehta of the NY Daily News Tuesday. "That's something I do accept. Moving forward, I plan to change it....People expect a guy to come in and have the immediate impact and get all the sacks. That's mainly what people attribute to me - not getting sacks."

With a restructured contract that will pay him $6.5 million in total compensation for the 2009 season, this will likely be the make-or-break season for Gholston. As Mehta points out, the Jets are more likely to release Gholston next off-season if he doesn't perform due to the way his contract was restructured.

In other words, he needs to make some big strides in order to see the $2.5 million roster bonus due in March 2011.

Otherwise, he'll be able rush JaMarcus Russell in the Mobile (AL) Flag Football League.

Posted by Kevin Hanson at 07:23 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

Jets cornerback Darrelle Revis said this week that the franchise has promised to rework his deal before the start of the season. But it's the Jets' policy to not discuss contract negotiations.

Yesterday, Jets general manager Mike Tannenbaum gave his opinion on the situation when speaking to ESPN Radio's Colin Cowherd.

"Our expectation is he'll retire a Jet many years from now," Tannenbaum said, per the New York Post.

Revis, who is only 24 years old, is the league's top cornerback and despite owning the contract rights through the 2012 season, it makes sense for the Jets to lock up him in a long-term deal.

Posted by Kevin Hanson at 05:06 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

Revis Island is about to become more expensive.

According to Jets cornerback Darrelle Revis (via Kevin Armstrong of the NY Daily News), the Jets and Revis are in talks to rework his deal. Revis, who is due to earn $1 million in 2010, says that the Jets have promised that they would get a deal done by the start of the season.

“I’m not worried. I’m okay. My life is good,” Revis said, per Manish Mehta of the Newark Star-Ledger. “This is something we have to go through. We’ll see and wait it out or whatever. We can’t control some things. You just got to go with the punches until everything gets cleared up.”

But it could get interesting if things are not worked out by the start of training camp (August 1st).

"That's their word. That's what they said," said Revis, per Rich Cimini of ESPN New York. "If you go back on your word, it's a problem."

The Jets have options on Revis' contract for the 2011 and 2012 seasons for $20 million, but since they've made a promise to Revis, they've backed themselves into a corner and need to come through with a new deal for their stud cornerback.

In my opinion, Revis is the top "shutdown" corner in the league. And, yes, Randy Moss, I called him a "shutdown corner."

Last year, Revis had six interceptions, which was a career high. More importantly, he limited the league's elite receivers to pedestrian numbers.

Here are some examples (receptions-yards): Houston's Andre Johnson (4-35), New England's Randy Moss (4-24 and 5-34 yards in their two matchups), Carolina's Steve Smith (1-5), New Orleans' Marques Colston (2-33) and Atlanta's Roddy White (4-33).

Posted by Kevin Hanson at 10:29 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

New York Jets head coach Rex Ryan is going to compete against two of his players in a weight-loss competition dubbed "The Biggest Winner," according to the team's website.

The weight-loss period runs from today through July 30th, two days before the start of training camp, and will pit Ryan against defensive tackle Kris Jenkins and offensive tackle Damien Woody.

"The guys are going to have fun with it," Ryan said. "There's an offensive player, a defensive player and a 47-year-old coach. The handicappers, I don't know how they're going to view this."

Currently, Ryan weighs 311 pounds while Jenkins and Woody are listed at 360 and 330 pounds, respectively. Whichever contestant loses the most weight will win a prize to donate to charity.

Posted by Kevin Hanson at 09:20 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

Unless you're in a deep league, a keeper league or one that starts two quarterbacks, there aren't any rookie quarterbacks that will make a big fantasy football impact in 2010.

That's not the case for rookie running backs.

Here are my top ten rookie running backs in fantasy football for 2010:

1. Ryan Mathews, Chargers: Mathews, who ranked second in college football in rushing last season, has the combination of skills and projected number of touches to put him at the top of this list. Chargers coach Norv Turner projects Mathews to get around 250 carries. Only nine running backs had more than that amount in 2009.

2. C.J. Spiller, Bills: No other running back in the rookie class has more pure talent than Spiller. And on any given play, Spiller, who was the first running back drafted, could turn it into a highlight-reel play. He has elite speed, but he will share the workload with Fred Jackson, who rushed for over 1,000 yards last year.

3. Ben Tate, Texans: While projecting workloads for the Texans' backfield is risky, Steve Slaton, who rushed for 1,282 yards as a rookie in 2008, is coming off surgery and his pre-surgery fumble-itis landed him in coach Gary Kubiak's doghouse. So, the job is Tate's for the taking if he can beat out Slaton, Arian Foster and Ryan Moats in camp and my bet is that the 58th-overall pick can.

4. Jahvid Best, Lions: The fantasy value of Best, who was drafted at the tail end of round one, is partly tied to the rehab of Kevin Smith, his backfield mate. Smith had a disappointing (and injury-shortened season) after a solid second half to his rookie season. At worst, Best will split carries with Smith. But Tom Kowalski of MLive.com writes that even with a healthy Smith, "Best likely will get the bulk of the workload."

5. Montario Hardesty, Browns: It says something when you break a rushing record set by Hall-of-Famer Jim Brown as Jerome Harrison in week 15 (286 yards). It also says something when the team drafts another back in the second round. Hardesty is a big back that projects to (at least) get the short yardage work. But considering Harrison had 106 carries in the final three games and 88 carries in his other ten games, it wouldn't surprise me to see Hardesty win the starting job in Cleveland.

6. Toby Gerhart, Vikings: Although he a second-round pick and Heisman finalist, Gerhart will back up the league's best all-around (and second-rated fantasy) running back. In addition, the Vikings have a potent pass offense led by Brett Favre. He is a physical runner, who could receive goalline carries. With the departure of Chester Taylor to Chicago, Gerhart will get touches and should be drafted by Peterson owners as a handcuff.

7. Dexter McCluster, Chiefs: With a similar skillset to Chargers RB Darren Sproles, McCluster does a lot of things well while lacking the size to be a durable, every-down back. Since most leagues don't reward return yardage and the Chiefs already have Jamal Charles and Thomas Jones on their roster, his fantasy impact will much more limited than his "real" impact. Also, McCluster will have more value in a point-per-reception (PPR) format.

8. Jonathan Dwyer, Steelers: Dwyer lasted much longer than projected in the NFL Draft. Backing up Rashard Mendenhall doesn't bode well for Dwyer's 2010 fantasy value, but it would be wise for Mendenhall owners to handcuff him with Dwyer.

9. Anthony Dixon, 49ers: Frank Gore must be happy as many mock drafts projected the Niners to draft Spiller, who went before San Francisco was on the clock. The Niners drafted two offensive linemen in round one (and Dixon in the sixth round). While Gore will get the bulk of work in the offense, Dixon is a big back (233 pounds) that was a four-year starter for Mississippi State.

10. Joe McKnight, Jets: Drafting McKnight, who was teammate of quarterback Mark Sanchez at USC, made Leon Washington, who's now in Seattle, expendable. With Shonn Greene and LaDainian Tomlinson ahead of McKnight on the depth chart and the acquisition of suspended (four games) receiver Santonio Holmes, McKnight's offensive touches may be limited.

This week, I will also release my rookie rankings for wide receivers and tight ends in fantasy football.

Posted by Kevin Hanson at 07:41 AM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

A few weeks back, Rich Cimini of the NY Daily News called a return of Jets quarterback Mark Sanchez for the team's veteran mini-camp in mid-June an "ambitious goal."

As rehab continues to go well for the second-year quarterback and judging by coach Rex Ryan's comments today, the goal seems a little less ambitious now, according to Manish Mehta of the Newark Star-Ledger.

“He’s throwing the ball some,” Ryan said. “He looks great. He’s doing everything that we ask him to do. And he’s going to be just fine. It’s really going to be disappointing to him if he can’t come back and do some of those mini-camps or OTAs.… I’d love to see him do that last mini-camp if at all possible.”

If he's not ready to go for the mini-camp and the Jets don't ultimately add Mark Brunell, it will allow the Jets to sort out their quarterback depth chart behind Sanchez between Kellen Clemens, Erik Ainge and Kevin O’Connell.

In his rookie season, Sanchez had the ups and downs through the regular season that you would expect from a rookie signal-caller.

Sanchez threw only 12 touchdowns compared with 20 interceptions. Even worse, he threw three or more interceptions in four (of 15) games for a total of 15 picks during that span.

On the other hand, however, Sanchez threw only five interceptions in the other 11 regular-season games. And in the post-season, he threw four touchdowns and only two interceptions in three games.

Posted by Kevin Hanson at 04:50 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

With help from Jets receiver Santonio Holmes, I've learned (well, actually already knew) what to do with my iPod when my flight from Hartford to Des Moines (via Detroit) takes off and lands tomorrow.

Not only will I turn the device off when requested by the flight attendant(s), I won't demand to speak to the police.

Contrary to initial reports of Holmes getting booted off the Newark-to-Pittsburgh flight on Thursday night, Holmes told coach Rex Ryan that he turned off the iPod, as requested by the flight attendant, but that he left the ear pieces in and fell back asleep.

And Ryan said, "I totally believe him."

"When the flight attendant came by she kind of woke him and said, 'Please turn off your iPod.' And he said, 'Yeah, no problem,'" Ryan told reporters (via the NY Daily News). "Well he was tired and never took out the ear pieces, so he went and laid back down. When lady came by and asked again, he said, 'I did. I can hear every word you're saying. I have it off.' He literally handed the ear things to the lady sitting next to him and she goes, 'Yeah, I can't hear anything.' So they were off."

Serving a four-game suspension to start the season, one would expect Holmes to mind his P's & Q's, as pointed out by Pro Football Talk.

In 2009, Holmes had a career season as far as individual statistics are concerned and ranked seventh in the NFL in receiving yards (1,248).

If he were able to maintain that pace (78 yards per game) in 2010, he would finish with 936 receiving yards. However, he transitions to a team with a young (albeit seemingly more mature) quarterback and a run-first offense. So, in other words, that makes 78 yards per game seems overly optimistic.

Assuming Holmes plays in 12 games in 2010, I would expect somewhere around 800 receiving yards for the season. Thirty wide receivers (including Holmes) had 800+ yards in 2009.

Posted by Kevin Hanson at 02:42 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

Earlier in the day, the Seattle Seahawks acquired running back LenDale White (and defensive tackle Kevin Vickerson) from the Tennessee Titans while swapping their fourth- and sixth-round draft picks.

With those picks, the Titans drafted UCLA cornerback Alterraun Verner in the fourth round (104th overall) and Florida Atlantic quarterback Rusty Smith in the sixth round (176th overall). Meanwhile, the Seahawks drafted Oregon cornerback Walter Thurmond in the fourth round (111th overall pick) and USC tight end Anthony McCoy (185th overall).

White, who played his college football at USC under Pete Carroll, carried the ball only 64 times in 2009 for 222 yards and two touchdowns as Chris Johnson became the sixth NFL running back to top the 2,000-yard milestone. Over the previous two seasons, White had 503 carries for 1,883 yards and 22 touchdowns.

Who would have expected that kind of decline after White, who lost 20 pounds in the 2009 off-season, gave up the tequila?

But the Seahawks also added another running back.

After drafting USC running back Joe McKnight in the fourth round, the Jets decided to trade Leon Washington (and a seventh-round pick) to the Seahawks for a fifth-round pick that they used to draft Kentucky fullback John Conner.

Washington missed more than half of the season after suffering a compound fracture in his leg, however, when healthy, he's one of the league's most versatile backs. Based on the one-year tender he received as a restricted free agent, Washington will earn $1.759 million in 2010.

"Right now, my focus is on just getting healthy, back healthy, 100 percent," Washington said, per Danny O'Neill of the Seattle Times. "Getting on the football field and contributing and trying to win football games. That's my main focus, and then when I do that, everything else off the field will take care of itself. I'm just excited about the opportunity that I have."

The other running backs on the Seahawks roster include Julius Jones, Justin Forsett, Louis Ranking and Quinton Ganther.

In my top 40 fantasy running back rankings for 2010, I put Forsett at number 32 on the list.

At the time, I wrote, "It looks as though the new regime led by coach Pete Carroll will give Forsett a fair shot to win the role as the featured back over Julius Jones although there is the possibility they will draft an elite running back prospect this week. Either way, Forsett (5.4 YPC) was much more productive than Jones (3.8 YPC) when given the chance."

With the familiarity and comfort that White presumably has with his former collegiate coach, I expect White to be the starting running back in this offense in 2010 and to get the largest workload. If Washington comes back healthy for week one, he does well what Forsett does well as a versatile, third-down back.

So, in other words, Forsett will not be in the top 40 fantasy running backs when I update the rankings to include the rookie draft class as well as to adjust for trades and off-season news.

As of today, if I had to rank the fantasy value of the Seahawks' running backs, they would be as follows: (1) LenDale White, (2) Justin Forsett, (3) Leon Washington and (4) Julius Jones.

Posted by Kevin Hanson at 03:58 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

The New York Jets are set to release guard Alan Faneca on Monday, according to Manish Mehta of the Newark Star-Ledger.

While he has reportedly been on the trading block for a while, his $7.5 million salary ($5.25 million guaranteed) for 2010 has made it difficult for the Jets to move him.

The Jets drafted UMass tackle Vladimir Ducasse, who started playing football in 2003 at Stamford (CT) High School, with their second-round pick. It's believed that Ducasse will be a better fit at right tackle than left tackle and that he'll likely transition to guard in Faneca's spot between LT D'Brickashaw Ferguson and center Nick Mangold.

As Rich Cimini writes at ESPNNewYork.com: "The Jets are taking a chance, breaking up a good thing, but it's better to start too early than too late. ..."

Faneca, who was the Steelers' first-round pick in 1998, has earned a trip to the Pro Bowl every season since 2001. With what many believed to be the best offensive line in football, the Jets led the NFL in rushing (172.3 yards per game) in 2009.

So, what's next for Faneca?

One possible destination could be New England, as GangGreenNation.com fears.

Posted by Kevin Hanson at 09:39 AM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

With the 29th pick in the 2010 NFL Draft, the New York Jets select Boise State cornerback Kyle Wilson.

Wilson is the fourth cornerback off the board after Florida's Joe Haden, Alabama's Kareem Jackson and Rutgers' Devin McCourty. But

This is a case of the rich getting richer.

The Jets, who had the league's top-rated defense, already have Darrelle Revis, who is the league's best cornerback in my opinion, and Antonio Cromartie.

Now the Minnesota Vikings are the on the clock with the 30th overall pick.

Posted by Kevin Hanson at 10:40 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

It's never too early to begin preparing for the upcoming fantasy football season -- even if it's nearly five months away.

Here are our 2010 Fantasy Football wide receiver rankings (excluding rookies) based on standard scoring and no point(s) per reception:

1. Dallas Clark, Colts: What's not to like? With a line of 100-1106-10, Clark ranked first in receptions, second in yards and third in touchdowns among tight ends.

2. Antonio Gates, Chargers: Not really the #2 fantasy TE; more like the 1(a). Gates led tight ends -- and set a career-high -- in receiving yards (1,157) in 2009.

3. Vernon Davis, 49ers: The wait is over. Davis finally broke out. Last year's numbers (78-965-13) were essentially better than his two previous seasons combined (83-867-6).

4. Brent Celek, Eagles: Two of Celek's three 100-yard games came in the only two in which Kevin Kolb started. It's hard to not picture an even better season than what he produced in his breakout campaign (76-971-8).

5. Jason Witten, Cowboys: Imagine complaining of a down season for a tight end that catches 94 passes for 1,030 yards. That's what fantasy owners did about Witten, who had only two scores in 2009, but he should be more productive in the redzone in 2010.

6. Owen Daniels, Texans: In an injury-shortened half-season, Daniels caught 40 passes for 519 yards and five touchdowns. His pace (80-1038-10) would have ranked him fourth in receptions, third in yards and tied for third in TDs among tight ends.

7. Jermichael Finley, Packers: In his final eight games (including the Packers' post-season game), Finley finished with 44 receptions for 575 yards and four touchdowns. Despite missing three games, Finley still finished in the top ten in receiving yards among TEs in his second (and breakout) season.

8. Kellen Winslow, Buccaneers: He's a bozo, but he has talent. And considering the weakness of the Buccaneers' receiving corps, he's the only legitimate weapon in the Bucs' passing attack.

9. Tony Gonzalez, Falcons: Arguably the greatest tight end ever. While Gonzalez is no longer the clear-cut top tight end in fantasy, he provides excellent value near the bottom of the top ten.

10. Visanthe Shiancoe, Vikings: Shiancoe has never surpassed 596 yards in one season, but he has been a touchdown machine over the past two seasons (18 TDs).

Continue reading "2010 Fantasy Football Rankings: Tight Ends" »

Posted by Kevin Hanson at 06:57 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

It's never too early to begin preparing for the upcoming fantasy football season -- even if it's nearly five months away.

Earlier this month, we released the early edition of our 2010 Fantasy Football rankings for quarterbacks and the early edition of our 2010 Fantasy Football rankings for running backs. Now we have ranked the receivers based on standard scoring and no point(s) per reception.

Here is our 2010 Fantasy Football wide receiver rankings (excluding rookies):

1. Andre Johnson, Texans: For me, this is a no-brainer. Johnson, who was the third overall pick in 2003, has posted back-to-back 100-reception, 1,500-yard seasons.

2.Larry Fitzgerald, Cardinals: Over the past three seasons, Fitzgerald has caught a combined 293 passes for 3,932 yards and 35 touchdowns. But it's an understatement to say Matt Leinart (or Derek Anderson) is a downgrade from Kurt Warner, who retired this off-season.

3. Randy Moss, Patriots: All five of his 100-yard games came in the first nine weeks and his attitude and motivation were questioned by some down the stretch. But he has scored 47 touchdowns over the past three seasons. It's hard to question that production.

4. Brandon Marshall, Dolphins: Marshall, who is now the highest-paid receiver in league history, has had 100+ receptions and 1,100+ yards for three consecutive seasons.

5. Calvin Johnson, Lions: After a stellar sophomore campaign (78-1331-12), MegaTron battled nagging injuries in 2009 and even missed two games. Provided he stays healthy, the sky is the limit for this athletic freak so I rank much higher than most will.

6. Reggie Wayne, Colts: Only three players (two receivers) finished the season with at least 100 receptions, 1,000 yards and 10 touchdowns. If you own Wayne, hope for a few Colts' early-season losses so Wayne plays more than a half in your fantasy championship game.

7. Roddy White, Falcons: Only Andre Johnson (171) had more targets than did White (165) in 2009. In the past three seasons, White has been consistent: 83, 88 and 85 receptions as well as 1,202, 1,382 and 1,153 yards, respectively. Even better, he set a career-high in TDs (11) in 2009.

8. Miles Austin, Cowboys: The list? Andre Johnson and Wes Welker. The topic? Receivers who had more yards than Austin in 2009.

9. DeSean Jackson, Eagles: Despite his size, Jackson is one of most explosive big-play receivers in the league. He ranked second in yards (18.5) per reception and first in the league in receptions of 40 yards or more (10).

10. Sidney Rice, Vikings: A waiver-wire pick-up, Rice had more receiving yards than all but three receivers in 2009. Assuming a Favre return, Rice should have another monster season in 2010.

Continue reading "2010 Fantasy Football Rankings: Wide Receivers" »

Posted by Kevin Hanson at 06:48 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

Earlier this month, we released the early edition of our 2010 Fantasy Football rankings for quarterbacks. Over the next few days, we release our rankings for wide receivers and tight ends.

Here is our 2010 Fantasy Football running back rankings (excluding rookies):

1. Chris Johnson, Titans: 2,006 yards. 11 straight 100-yard games. That's virtually impossible to repeat, but with 4.24 speed, Johnson can take it to the house on any given play.

2. Adrian Peterson, Vikings: I would love to get AD as the second running back. Too many other weapons in Vikes' offense (assuming a Favre return) and only one football to take over "Every Coach's Dream" for the top spot.

3. Maurice Jones-Drew, Jaguars: Is MJD dynamic? Absolutely. Could he be the most productive RB in fantasy? Possibly. But, for inexplicable reasons, MJD will have games with 6 or 8 carries. What if that's week 16?

4. Ray Rice, Ravens: Rice led RBs in receptions (78) and receiving yards (702) in 2009. He was one of only two backs to have over 2000 yards from scrimmage.

5. Michael Turner, Falcons: The good news? Turner didn't take the punishment of another 394-carry (counting playoffs) season in 2009. The bad news? It was because of his ankle injury. With good health (knock on wood), The Burner should be a top-five fantasy back in 2010.

6. Steven Jackson, Rams: With the Rams lack of offensive weapons to complement Jackson, opposing defenses knew what was coming. Yet Jackson still finished second in the NFL in rushing.

7. Rashard Mendenhall, Steelers: Starting in week four, Mendenhall rushed for 1,068 yards and seven TDs in the final 13 games of the season. (That's a 1300-yard pace.) With Fast Willie in D.C. now, a repeat (or even an improvement) of that pace seems likely.

8. Frank Gore, 49ers: Several mock drafts project the Niners selecting Clemson RB C.J. Spiller and if they do, that would knock Gore down a few spots.

9. Cedric Benson, Bengals: As a back I recommended to target in 2009 fantasy drafts, Benson led the NFL in rushing for a good part of the season. Benson will be the featured workhorse again in 2010.

10. Ryan Grant, Packers: As the runner for one of the league's best aerial assaults, Grant should continue to see a lot of seven-men fronts with lanes to run. He's a steady producer that's often overlooked on draft day.

Continue reading "2010 Fantasy Football Rankings: Running Backs" »

Posted by Kevin Hanson at 11:34 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

The Pittsburgh Steelers have traded wide receiver Santonio Holmes for, get this, a fifth-round draft pick, per ESPN's John Clayton.

Although Holmes is the subject of an investigation of an incident in an Orlando nightclub and could be facing a four-game suspension due to violating the league's substance-abuse policy, it seems like the Jets are getting away with highway robbery.

Holmes, the Steelers' first-round pick in 2006, had 79 receptions for 1,248 yards (both career-highs) and five touchdowns last year. He ranked seventh in the NFL in receiving yards.

The transition to a run-first offense with a young quarterback means that Holmes is unlikely to duplicate the per-game pace he posted in 2009. However, he gives the Jets a legitimate No. 1 receiver at a low cost.

From a fantasy football perspective, this move obviously helps Jets quarterback Mark Sanchez and hurts Steelers' quarterback Ben Roethlisberger.

In 2009, the Steelers ranked fifth in the NFL in passing yards (281.0) per game while the Jets ranked second to last (162.3 ypg).

Meanwhile, Holmes' departure should help the fantasy value of Mike Wallace, who was the team's No. 3 receiver in 2009. On the other hand, the fantasy value of Braylon Edwards and Jerricho Cotchery takes a hit as both should see less targets with the presence of Holmes.

Posted by Kevin Hanson at 12:18 AM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

If a marquis quarterback can be traded to a hated archrival, why can't an aging free-agent defensive end sign with the enemy?

Per ESPN's John Clayton, he hasn't signed yet, but free-agent defensive end Jason Taylor met with the Jets today.

And his agent, Gary Wichard, said, "This is a guy that I can honestly say the contract is not a motivating factor. The only things that matter are winning, enjoying football and getting a Super Bowl ring."

But Wichard can't say the same thing.

"I pushed him up there,'' Wichard said, per Armando Salguero of the Miami Herald. "I twisted his arm. He loves the fans in Miami and he gave up $8 million last year to play in front of fans. I am the one to push him to go up there because I don't know what will be available to him on April 23 or 25 or whatever."

Taylor, who ranks 11th all-time in sacks (127.5), had seven with the Dolphins in 2009.

Posted by Kevin Hanson at 10:14 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

Although we are more than five months away from the start of the 2010 NFL season, it's never too early to start thinking about the upcoming fantasy football season.

This week, we will release our first edition of position rankings for 2010. These lists will exclude rookies, however, our post-draft update (late-April or early-May) will include the 2010 rookie class.

In addition to these rankings, we are towards the end of our 2010 Fantasy Football Mock Draft. Visit our page on Blog Talk Radio to listen to the remaining rounds or archived editions of the first nine rounds.

Here are my Top 25 Fantasy QBs for 2010:

1. Drew Brees, Saints: No QB has passed for more yards (9,457) or touchdowns (68) than Brees over the past two seasons. In fact, his 4,388 passing yards was his worst performance over the past four seasons due to missing week 17 to rest for the playoffs. That said, most fantasy owners don't care about week 17 anyways.

2. Aaron Rodgers, Packers: After back-to-back 4,000-yard seasons, it wouldn't surprise me if Rodgers finished 2010 as the top-ranked fantasy passer and made Packer fans (or, at least, fantasy owners) ask, "Brett who?"

3. Peyton Manning, Colts: A student of the game? More like a coach on the field. 4,000+ yards and 25+ TDs should be a lock. Given the Colts' disregard for making history, the potential of locking up the division early and playing for one half in week 16 again is perhaps Peyton's biggest flaw as a fantasy quarterback.

4. Philip Rivers, Chargers: He's one of four QBs that have passed for 4,000 yards in each of the past two seasons and only Brees has thrown more TDs during that stretch. Expect even more passing in the post-LT era.

5. Tom Brady, Patriots: It remains to be seen whether he'll have Wes Welker to start the season. But at least he'll have Giselle.

6. Matt Schaub, Texans: Schaub led the NFL in passing yards despite being without his stud tight end (Owen Daniels) for half of the year.

7. Tony Romo, Cowboys: His impressive play down the stretch along with the emergence of Miles Austin provides plenty of momentum for 2010. Only if Romo could throw the ball "correctly" to Roy Williams like he does to the other receivers...

8. Brett Favre, Vikings: If Favre retires (again), expect an un-retirement to follow (again). The Vikes are stacked with weapons and fell just shy of the Super Bowl. While 4,202 yards, 33 touchdowns and seven interceptions shouldn't be expected for the 40-year-old, 3,800+ yards and 25+ touchdowns seems reasonable in that offense.

9. Ben Roethlisberger, Steelers: Only Brees and Schaub had more passing yards per game than Big Ben (288.5) in 2009. Of course, his legal mess, which could lead to disciplinary action from the league, increases his riskiness. If he plays 16 games, however, he's a fantasy football bargain.

10. Donovan McNabb, Redskins: McNabb's 16-game pace (he missed two) in 2009 was 4,060 yards and 25 TDs. Replicating that production over a full season in Washington will be difficult considering the downgrade in weapons in the passing game.

Continue reading "2010 Fantasy Football Rankings: Quarterbacks" »

Posted by Kevin Hanson at 07:13 AM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

Even though second-year running back Shonn Greene should be the featured back in the Jets' offense, LaDainian Tomlinson will get a fresh start in 2010.

If you judge Tomlinson based on his past two seasons in San Diego, however, L.T. says it's "kind of misleading," per RIch Cimini of the NY Daily News.

"The things that happened in San Diego, everything was taken away from me," Tomlinson said. "There wasn't an emphasis on running the football anymore, my best fullback was gone, the linemen were pass-blocking and it was a passing quarterback and a passing coach. So, the situation's kind of misleading when you look on film."

Unlike the guy the Jets released (Thomas Jones), who set career highs in rushing yards and touchdowns as a thirty-something last year, it's typical for the running backs in their thirties to decline.

In 2006, Tomlinson rushed for a career-high 1,815 yards and 28 touchdowns, which is an NFL single-season record.

Since 2006, he's rushed for 1,474 yards (2007), 1,110 yards (2008) and 730 yards (2009). Granted his carries declined in each of those seasons, but so did his per-carry averages: 5.2 to 4.7 to 3.8 to 3.3, respectively.

The Jets arguably have the best offensive line in football, which should help Tomlinson's performance on a per-carry basis. In a run-first offense led by quarterback Mark Sanchez, however, LT should expect to face more eight-man fronts than he saw in San Diego with Phillip Rivers under center.

Even though Jets coach Rex Ryan suggested Tomlinson will get 15 carries per game, it's hard to not envision L.T. being second fiddle to Greene. Plus, versatile back Leon Washington will take touches away from the future first-ballot Hall of Famer.

In other words, there is no way that Tomlinson goes over 1,000 yards in 2010. And it wouldn't surprise me if he finishes with less than 730 (his total in 2009) as well.

Posted by Kevin Hanson at 07:58 AM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

Despite cutting one thirty-something running back this off-season, the New York Jets are now entertaining another.

Today the Jets, who cut Thomas Jones due to a large roster bonus he would have otherwise received, are hosting LaDainian Tomlinson, who met with the Vikings yesterday.

Tomlinson, who was released by the Chargers, hasn't been the same dominant running back he was earlier in his career during the past two disappointing seasons.

With the Vikings or the Jets, LT would serve as the back-up running back to either Adrian Peterson or Shonn Greene. His role with the Vikings, however, would be more defined since they lost Chester Taylor, who was their third-down back, to Chicago. Meanwhile, the Jets have Leon Washington to occupy that role.

The one thing that LT hasn't done in his Hall-of-Fame career is win a Super Bowl. Both the Vikings and the Jets were one game away losing to the Saints and Colts, respectively, in the conference championships.

Tomlinson ranks eighth all-time in rushing yards (12,490) and third in touchdowns (153) behind Jerry Rice and Emmitt Smith.

Posted by Kevin Hanson at 01:42 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

The San Diego Chargers were eager to move cornerback Antonio Cromartie. And they now have.

“I think it’s good for both parties,” said Chargers cornerback Quentin Jammer, via the San Diego Union-Tribune. “Cro got his wish, and the Chargers got their wish.”

In exchange for Cromartie, the Chargers will receive a third-round pick in the 2011 NFL Draft from the Jets, which could increase to a second-round pick depending on Cromartie's playing time.

As Rich Cimini of the NY Daily News points out, the Jets will get a bargain if they get the 2007 version of Cromartie, who intercepted ten passes that season.

Pairing the 2007 version of Cromartie with Darrelle Revis, who I believe is the league's best cornerback, would create the league's top cornerback tandem and provide the Jets' defense with even greater flexibility to be disruptive.

Or they could get the whining, matador-style tackling version that coincidentally wanted no part of Jets running back Shonn Greene in the AFC playoffs.

Last year, Cromartie, who was the Chargers' first-round pick in 2006, had only three interceptions and 33 tackles.

Posted by Kevin Hanson at 02:07 AM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

New York Jets running back Thomas Jones was one of only three running backs to rush for over 1,400 yards in 2009. Titans RB Chris Johnson and Rams RB Steven Jackson were the other two.

This week, Jones, who turns 32 in August, will become one of three running backs to share something less fortunate in common.

With LaDainian Tomlinson and Brian Westbrook being released this week by San Diego and Philadelphia, respectively, Jones is about to become the third aging running back with big (or more than the team wants to pay) salaries and/or roster bonuses to be cut, according to Rich Cimini of the NY Daily News.

Jones, who rushed for a career-high 1,402 yards and 14 touchdowns in 2009, was unwilling to restructure his contract, per Cimini. He has a $3 million roster bonus due on top of his $2.8 million salary.

In the post-season, it was rookie Shonn Greene that showed he was ready to be the featured back in the offense. In addition, Leon Washington expects to return in time for the season opener after breaking his leg last year.

One potential destination for Jones is New England, as pointed out by Cimini, which could come back to haunt the Jets.

Some other destinations that I think would make sense include Houston, who have one of the league's best pass offenses but struggled to run the ball, and San Diego, who cut LT and won't franchise Darren Sproles. And Joe Fortenbaugh of National Football Post thinks the Eagles, in addition to the Chargers, should pursue Jones when he gets released.

Without Jones to share carries and with the talented Jets' offensive line, Greene will be one of the top 10-15 running backs drafted in 2010 fantasy football drafts.

Meanwhile 2010 fantasy value for Jones largely depends on his destination. Given the right opportunity, Jones should come through with another 1,000-yard season for fantasy owners in 2010.

Posted by Kevin Hanson at 09:57 AM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

Colts receiver Reggie Wayne is looking forward to the "challenge" of facing Jets cornerback Darrelle Revis, who finished second in NFL Defensive Player of the Year voting.

In the first matchup, the Colts pulled their starters in the third quarter and Wayne finished with three catches for 33 yards.

"It was an adventure on Revis Island, I guess," Wayne said, per the Indianapolis Star. "It was fun. One thing about Revis is he's going to challenge you. He's going to make you play your best. That's all you can ask for. I accept that challenge."

With no disrespect intended for Green Bay cornerback Charles Woodson, who won the Defensive Player of the Year award, I believe Revis is the league's best "shutdown corner" (even if New England's Randy Moss takes exception to that phrase).

Revis, who called Moss a "slouch," said: "You got to play 60 minutes if you are going to play against us. You can't sit here and play 45. It doesn't happen like that. You got to compete. That's is what it's about. When you're not competing - come on now. Let's compete. If they score five touchdowns on me, I'm going to give him his respect."

In addition to shutting down Moss (nine catches for 58 yards in two games), Revis shut down several other elite receivers this season.

Revis shut down Houston's Andre Johnson (four catches for 35 yards), Buffalo's Terrell Owens (six catches for 44 yards in two games), Carolina's Steve Smith (one catch for five yards) and Cincinnati's Chad Ochocinco (two catches for 28 yards in two games).

Wayne is one of my favorite receivers in the league. He's as talented of a receiver as there is in the league but he's not a trash-talker and perhaps doesn't get the credit he deserves because of his quiet demeanor.

This season, Wayne finished with 100 receptions for 1,264 yards and 10 touchdowns.

While Revis wasn't exclusively on San Diego's Vincent Jackson last week, he may not cover Wayne exclusively this week.

Earlier in the week, Revis said, "Yeah, my job is going to be tough once again. I'll be moving around on Reggie Wayne and (Pierre) Garcon, and probably a couple other receivers as well."

That said, as Phillip B. Wilson of the Indianapolis Star points out, Revis covered Wayne on all 39 plays in their first matchup.

For the Colts to beat the Jets today, they will likely need for receivers not named Reggie to have solid games today as it's unlikely that Wayne gets much more than 50 yards against Revis.

Posted by Kevin Hanson at 10:40 AM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

Perhaps he's a bit (or a lot) of a loud-mouth. But one thing's for sure: he's always entertaining.

And as Ohm Youngmisuk of the NY Daily News points out, it's his personality that keeps the team confident and prevents them from getting too tight.

"I always say this, 'Whatever you guys do, just do-do-do-don't panic,'" Ryan stammered (via the NY Daily News). "We are not going to panic. No, never. There might be some concerns. But I never feel like that. I mean, I'm excited."

"Oh, go have fun, let's go, play the position, have some fun," Ryan said (about what he told rookie QB Mark Sanchez). "Just because every kid in the world dreams to be in this spot, don't let it affect you."

And while Rex Ryan is brash and a trash-talker, the other rookie coach in tomorrow's game (Jim Caldwell) is the complete opposite.

“He works with a lot of class,” Colts linebacker Clint Session said. “He doesn’t need to talk about it. He is about it. That’s what’s rubbed off on all his players. We go about it the same way.”

While the Colts are accustomed to post-season appearances and have a coach on the field at QB in Peyton Manning, they need a steady hand to run the show. For the Jets, on the other hand, they have limited to no playoff experience and a rookie quarterback, who will be expected to manage the game.

That said, Ryan and Caldwell may be polar opposites, but they are the same in that both of their styles are perfect for their respective teams.

Posted by Kevin Hanson at 09:06 AM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

Despite breaking his hand on the first play of the Chargers game, Jets defensive end Shaun Ellis will play against the Colts in the AFC Championship Game on Sunday.

In fact, he continued to play on third downs against the Chargers after he had broken it. Mike Ellis played on first and second downs.

Ellis will have surgery after this week's game since he says that "the skin would burst back open" [if he had surgery this week] "so I have to suck it up, cast it up again and just go out there and play."

If the Jets beat the Colts, Ellis will be able to play in the Super Bowl with two weeks rest.

Ellis finished second on the team in sacks (six) in 2009.

Posted by Kevin Hanson at 09:24 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

Atlanta Falcons quarterback Matt Ryan and running back Michael Turner will play against the New York Jets today.

Turner, who has battled a high-ankle sprain, has played in only one (partial) game in the past four weeks. In that game against the Bucs, Turner carried the ball 12 times for 33 yards.

Meanwhile, Ryan hasn't played since leaving after one series in week 12 against Tampa.

The Jets' pass defense has allowed the fewest fantasy points to opposing quarterbacks over the past three weeks. In fact, they have only given up a total of 321 passing yards and no passing touchdowns during that span.

Against the run, the Jets have allowed the second-fewest fantasy points to opposing running backs over the past three weeks.

So, if you have Ryan, Turner or the other Falcons' running backs (Jason Snelling and/or Jerious Norwood) on your fantasy roster, I would sit all of them on your bench.

And with shutdown corner Darrelle Revis on Roddy White, I named him my WR Dud of the Week in our weekly fantasy football podcast.

Posted by Kevin Hanson at 11:56 AM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

With the fantasy football playoffs on the horizon, here are my top 5 wide receivers for week 13:

1. Randy Moss, Patriots (at Dolphins): In his first matchup against the Dolphins, who rank in the bottom 10 in passing yards allowed (233 ypg), Moss had six receptions for 147 yards and one TD. On the season, Moss leads the NFL in receiving yards (992) and is only one behind the leaders in TD receptions (eight). After getting their ass whooped on prime-time TV, expect the Patriots, Tom Brady, Moss & Co. to come out swinging.

2. Andre Johnson, Texans (at Jaguars): Johnson is one of the league's most complete receivers and perhaps the most underrated. This week, Johnson gets a favorable matchup against the Jaguars, who have allowed the fourth-most fantasy points to receivers this season. On the season, Johnson ranks fourth in the league in receiving yards (945).

3. Larry Fitzgerald, Cardinals (vs Vikings): The Vikings have been without Antoine Winfield, the team's best cornerback, for the past five games. On the season, the Vikings have allowed the 10th-most fantasy points to opposing wide receivers. My expectation is for QB Kurt Warner to return from his concussion as Fitzgerald had his worst game of the season with Matt Leinart as QB last week. Fitzgerald is tied for the league lead in touchdowns (nine) including four TDs in the last three games in which Warner has played.

4. Reggie Wayne, Colts (vs Titans): Wayne is second in receptions (79), second in receiving yards (987) and tied for first in touchdowns (nine) in the league. In addition to their improvements with Vince Young under center, the Titans have improved on the defensive side of the ball as they are healthier now. Only the Lions (27) have allowed more receiving touchdowns than the Titans (25) on the season. During their five-game winning streak, however, the Titans have allowed only the 18th-most fantasy points to opposing receivers.

5. Sidney Rice, Vikings (at Cardinals): In three of his past six games, Rice has 136 receiving yards or more including a game with 201yards. With the exception of his game at Green Bay, Rice has had 89 yards or more in five of his past six. Favre and Rice have built chemistry quickly and they have a favorable matchup against the Cardinals, who have allowed the seventh-most fantasy points to receivers this season.

Click here for top 50 wide receivers for week 13.

More rankings: top 25 QBs | top 40 RBs | top 20 TEs | top 20 kickers | top 20 team defenses

Posted by Kevin Hanson at 07:11 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

With the fantasy football playoffs on the horizon, here are my top 5 running backs for week 13:

1. Thomas Jones, Jets (at Bills): The first time that Jones faced the Bills this season, he rushed for 210 yards and a touchdown. The Bills have allowed the most fantasy points to opposing running backs this season and only the Raiders have allowed more rushing TDs than the Bills (16). Since the Jets want QB Mark Sanchez to air it out less and less (his attempts have gone from 35 to 30 to 21 to 17), Jones better bring his lunch-pail tonight.

2. Chris Johnson, Titans (at Colts): As well as Johnson has played in the past six weeks (125+ rushing yards every week), you can consider Johnson 1(a) -- not #2 -- in this week's rankings. During their five-game winning streak, Johnson has rushed for seven touchdowns. Although the Colts have a middle-of-the-pack run defense on the season, they've given up the 11th-most fantasy points to opposing RBs in the past three weeks.

3. DeAngelo Williams, Panthers (vs Buccaneers): DeAngelo has cooled off a bit with no touchdowns in the past three weeks and only one 100-yard game during that span. The first time that Williams faced the Buccaneers this season, he carried the ball 30 times for 152 yards and two scores. Expect more of the same against the league's third-worst rush defense.

4. Adrian Peterson, Vikings (at Cardinals): The Cardinals were the league's top-ranked run defense earlier in the season, but they have dropped to 14th in the NFL against the run (108.6 ypg allowed). In four of the past five weeks, they have allowed an opposing running back to eclipse the century mark. Surprisingly, Peterson has only three 100-yard games on the season, but he is second in the league with 12 rushing touchdowns.

5. Maurice Jones-Drew, Jaguars (vs Texans): MJD has rushed for more rushing touchdowns (13) than any other running back. (Of course, none of those are as famous as the TD that he didn't score.) That said, Jones-Drew faces a Texans run defense that turned itself around after the first three weeks. In week 3, however, MJD rushed for 119 yards and three touchdowns.

Click here for top 40 running backs for week 13.

More rankings: top 25 QBs | top 50 WRs | top 20 TEs | top 20 kickers | top 20 team defenses

Posted by Kevin Hanson at 05:46 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (1)

It's time to put up or shut up. If you haven't yet clinched a playoff berth in your fantasy league, it likely comes down to week 13 for you as most fantasy leagues start their playoffs in week 14.

And to paraphrase Bill Parcells, this is why you buy those cheat sheets, do those mock drafts, etc. -- to get into (and win in) the playoffs.

Here are my top 5 quarterbacks for week 13:

1. Peyton Manning, Colts (vs Titans): Manning is the only QB to average over 300 passing yards per game (310.5) and is second in passing touchdowns (24). While the Titans and their defense have been playing better lately, they have allowed the second-most passing touchdowns (25) this season.

2. Brett Favre, Vikings (at Cardinals): In his past four games, Favre has thrown 12 touchdowns and no interceptions. On the season, Arizona allows the fourth-most passing yards (258.3 ypg).

3. Drew Brees, Saints (at Redskins): Brees is coming off a five-TD performance against the Patriots in what was arguably the most important regular-season game in team history. Although this week's opponent (Washington) allows the fewest passing yards in the NFL (170.4 ypg), Brees and the Saints offense are firing on all cylinders right now.

4. Tom Brady, Patriots (at Dolphins): Brady failed to connect on a TD pass last week, but he had 332 passing yards against the Dolphins in their first match-up. With targets like Randy Moss and Wes Welker, it's not likely that Brady goes TD-less in back-to-back games.

5. Philip Rivers, Chargers (at Chiefs): Rivers has posted three consecutive 100+ QB ratings and this week he faces the Browns, who have allowed the ninth-most passing yards (233.4 ypg) this season. In the past four games, Rivers has thrown eight touchdowns and only two interceptions.

Click here for top 25 quarterbacks for week 13.

More rankings: top 40 RBs | top 50 WRs | top 20 TEs | top 20 kickers | top 20 team defenses

Posted by Kevin Hanson at 06:59 AM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

The New York Jets and quarterback Mark Sanchez face the Buffalo Bills in Toronto on Thursday night.

In their first matchup of the season, Sanchez had his worst professional performance in which he threw five interceptions with a quarterback rating of 8.3.

(To put a QB rating of 8.3 in context, the career low for Raiders QB JaMarcus Russell is 17.4.)

On the season, the Bills have 21 interceptions, which is second only to the Saints (22). In addition to the challenge of facing the Bills' ball-hawking secondary, he has an injury to his left knee, which coach Rex Ryan calls "sore."

"I know he's sore, so we'll see how that goes," Ryan said. "It's a short week ... but he finished the game. I thought he was still moving around pretty good, so hopefully he'll be 100% when we play."

Today Sanchez got some sliding lessons from Yankees manager Joe Girardi, per Rich Cimini of the NY Daily News.

From Girardi, he said that he learned "(how to) hook my leg, because I wear that brace on my left leg so you don’t want to hook that leg into the ground because it might get stuck. He showed me how to do it with the opposite leg and hook that leg under. He showed me how to protect the ball while I am sliding and try not to fall on one side or the other on my shoulder, just absorb the blow with my butt and my legs. It was important for me to learn that and I really appreciated it."

So, what's next for Sanchez? Perhaps Ryan will have Kobayashi or Joey Chestnut teach Sanchez how to eat hot dogs.

Posted by Kevin Hanson at 08:12 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

Panthers wide receiver Steve Smith has been added to the team's injury report as questionable with sore ribs, according to Charles Chandler of the Charlotte Observer.

Smith has caught three (of his four) touchdown passes in the past two games.

If Smith plays against the Jets, however, he could have a long day as he'd likely be matched up against shutdown corner Darrelle Revis.

The Jets allowed their first 100-yard receiver (New England's Wes Welker) of the season last week. While Welker was having a career day (15 receptions for 192 yards), Revis held Randy Moss to only 34 receiving yards on five receptions.

Posted by Kevin Hanson at 11:38 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

Here are the stats (receptions and receiving yards) for Patriots receiver Randy Moss in his first three games of the year: 12-141, 4-24 and 10-116.

Can you guess in which of those three games Moss faced Jets cornerback Darrelle Revis?

If you recall, Moss said that it was safety help over the top that led to his lack of production in week two and that there is no such thing as a "shutdown corner."

That said, it's time for round two between these two and Revis is standing by his words.

“Everybody saw the game, everybody knew I was in man coverage,” Revis said (via the Boston Herald). “He’s supposed to say that . . . (That) day wasn’t his day. He got shut out, and he was frustrated about it. Cool. I don’t have nothing against him. I still think he’s one of the best receivers in the league. If that’s what he said, that’s on him. We play them twice a year. I have to see him again, he has to see me again.”

“I don’t feed into talking and all that crazy stuff. I’m a 12-year vet. So that stuff don’t bother me,” Moss said. “My biggest thing is, when you talk like that, you better back it up. So, we’ll see. We’ll see what goes down.”

In his past four games, Moss has 28 receptions for 524 yards and six touchdowns including three 100-yard games.

If you have Randy Moss on your fantasy football team, he's a must-start even when he's facing arguably the league's top cornerback (no disrepsect intended for Oakland's Nnamdi Asomugha). That said, I would temper your expectations if you expect another 100-yard, multi-touchdown performance from Moss.

Posted by Kevin Hanson at 03:44 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

Jets rookie quarterback Mark Sanchez could have had his season go from good to bad to worse.

What helped save it?

Apparently, a DVD given to Sanchez by coach Rex Ryan did, per Rich Cimini of the NY Daily News.

When viewing the DVD called "What We Want," which began with clips of Hall of Famer Joe Montana, Sanchez thought to himself, 'Jeez, who's next, Troy Aikman? Dan Marino?  I'm like, 'I really have to start playing.'"

Instead the video Ryan gave Sanchez included highlights of Sanchez (from USC and his start with the Jets).

"Just looking at the throws, I was like, 'Man, I was awesome. That's me doing it,'" said Sanchez, according to Cimini. "It was a little boost, a little something I could really use. That's exactly what I needed and Rex knew it."

It's easy to forget with the performance of rookie quarterbacks from last year's draft class (Atlanta's Matt Ryan and Baltimore's Joe Flacco) that it's common for rookie quarterbacks to have ups and downs.

Overall Sanchez has played reasonably well "for a rookie."

With the exception of two games (Buffalo and New Orleans), Sanchez never had a QB rating lower than 81.4 for a game.  In those two horrible games, Sanchez threw no touchdowns and eight interceptions.

In his other six games, however, Sanchez has eight touchdowns and only two interceptions.

But Sanchez says, "A lot of people will say, 'Hey, man, you're a rookie and you're playing really good for a rookie.'  But I don't want to play like a rookie. I want to play like a 10-year vet, a Pro Bowler, a Super Bowl champion."

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